As Germany prepares for a change of government, climate experts are hopeful that Sunday's election results mean that the country will continue to be a leader in ambitious efforts to slash planet-warming emissions and will keep growing its renewable energy industries.
Germany's current climate plans are seen as ambitious: It wants to reduce its emissions from burning coal, oil and gas by 65% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality — where it doesn't emit any more pollution than it can take back out of the atmosphere — by 2045. It also wants to phase out coal-fired power generation entirely by 2038 and make over 54% of its electricity from clean sources like wind, solar and nuclear power.
