The German Federal Constitutional Court Orders the German Legislator to Set Clear CO
2 Emission Reduction Goals Beyond 2030
On 29 April 2021, the German Federal Constitutional Court published a groundbreaking order it already released on 24 March 2021. Following a complaint brought by young climate activists, the Constitutional Court held the 2019 German Federal Climate Change Act as partially unconstitutional.
The Court argued that the Climate Change Act s provisions on national climate targets and annual emission amounts allowed until 2030 are incompatible with the fundamental freedom rights of the plaintiffs. Further, the existing provisions also lack sufficient specifications for further emission reductions from 2031 onwards. The German legislator