Germany Pledges to Phase Out Fossil Fuels by 2045 for the First Time

Germany has for the first time committed to phasing out fossil fuels entirely, setting a target of 2045, according to a roadmap published by the government on Wednesday and reported by The Guardian.

The pledge marks a notable shift in the framing of Germany's climate commitments. Previous government pledges focused on achieving carbon neutrality, a goal that can in principle be met partly through offsetting emissions rather than eliminating fossil fuel use outright. The new roadmap instead sets out an explicit promise to transition away from fossil fuels altogether, according to campaigners cited in the report.

As Europe's largest economy, Germany's climate policy carries significant weight both within the European Union and globally, given the country's substantial industrial base and historical reliance on coal, oil and natural gas for energy production. The shift comes despite what the report describes as fierce ongoing debate within Germany over the pace and cost of its green energy transition.

Germany has in recent years accelerated its exit from coal-fired power generation and expanded its renewable energy capacity, particularly wind and solar, while also navigating the fallout from reduced Russian gas supplies following the escalation of the war in Ukraine. Those supply disruptions forced the country to diversify its energy sources rapidly, including through increased imports of liquefied natural gas.

Climate campaigners welcomed the more explicit fossil fuel phase-out language as a stronger signal of intent than previous carbon-neutrality framing, though the report did not detail specific interim targets or sector-by-sector plans for reaching the 2045 goal.

Details on how the roadmap will be implemented across Germany's energy, transport and industrial sectors were not fully outlined in the available report.