Germany commits for first time to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045

The Guardian Business Wednesday 23 September 2026, 16:00 UTC By Fiona Harvey Environment editor 1 min read

Key Points

Campaigners say plan marks a ‘notable shift’ away from oil and gas as previously pledges were only for carbon neutralityEurope’s biggest economy has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, despite fierce debate about Germany’s green policies. In a roadmap published on Wednesday, the German government set out for the first time an explicit promise of “transitioning away” from fossil fuels, as previous pledges were only for “carbon neutrality”.

Campaigners say plan marks a ‘notable shift’ away from oil and gas as previously pledges were only for carbon neutrality

Europe’s biggest economy has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, despite fierce debate about Germany’s green policies.

In a roadmap published on Wednesday, the German government set out for the first time an explicit promise of “transitioning away” from fossil fuels, as previous pledges were only for “carbon neutrality”.

Germany (LOCATION) German (ORG)

Originally published by The Guardian Business Read original →

Campaigners say plan marks a ‘notable shift’ away from oil and gas as previously pledges were only for carbon neutralityEurope’s biggest economy, Germany, has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, despite fierce debate about its green policies. In a roadmap published on Wednesday, the German government set out for the first time an explicit promise of “transitioning away” from fossil fuels. Previous pledges were only for “carbon neutrality”.

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Germany commits for first time to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045

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