World leaders gather in Germany to tackle climate change issue

Global Business

G7 leaders are arriving in southern Germany for their annual summit. And, one of the major issues to be discussed is climate change. With a major United Nation Summit coming up in December, Germany wants its wealthy partners to commit to significant emissions cuts. It aims to completely decarbonise its economy by the end of the century. CCTV-America’s Guy Henderson reports filed the report from Bavarian Alpine resort of Schloss Elmau.

Highlight:

  • 60 kilometers off Germany’s North Sea coastline is processing a green revolution. By the end of 2015, 13 off-shore wind farms will provide power for 3 point 4 million German homes. There are plans for at least 20 more. Germany has laid down a marker. It wants to cut its carbon emissions by 40 per cent of 1990 levels, by 2020. So what started as a test-case 5 years ago is now the center piece of a hugely ambitious plan.
  • Germany employs over 371,000 people in the renewable sector, which is more than half the European total.
  • Germany’s technological prowess is almost unrivalled. Still, despite government subsidies, its consumers’ energy bills are among the highest in the world. But there is surely no turning back. The cost of that would be immeasurable.