German conservatives, SPD agree on climate targets for 2030 at coalition talks

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives agreed with their potential Social Democrat (SPD) partners on Wednesday on climate targets for 2030. The move is seen as a sign of steady progress in coalition talks which both sides aim to conclude within a week. Merkel is pinning her hopes for a fourth term on a re-run of the ‘grand coalition’ with the SPD to end four months of political limbo. The parties effectively dropped the previous government’s target to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels. While recognizing that goal, documents show the focus is instead on a legally binding 2030 target to cut emissions by 55 percent via savings in transport, agriculture, energy and buildings, supported by tax incentives or subsidies, Reuters said.