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Global warming is becoming obious. Eight of the ten warmest years since temperatures started being recorded were measured in the past decade. The world experienced the highest average temperature to date in 1998 followed by the years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 (see information sheet from the Climatic Research Unit ). The average temperature of our planet has already increased by about 0.6 °C in the past 100 years.
Scientists agree that a large part of this warming is due to the effect of greenhouse gases emitted as a result of human activity. Carbon dioxide (CO2), released when fossil fuels are burned, plays a major role. The earth's atmosphere accumulates CO2 and other gases, trapping more and more heat like a greenhouse. The United Nation's scientific committee, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), expects temperatures to increase by 1.4°C to 5.8 °C between 1990 and 2100 if energy consumption continues to increase.
Experts assume that a rise of around 2°C in the global mean temperature would have a devastating effect on our ecosystem, food production, the water supply, human health and economic development. More information can be found in the Special Report of the German Advisory Council on Global Change.
The industrial nations have therefore concluded national and international agreements to mitigate climate change, the goal being to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and particularly CO2. In the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change they agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of five percent of the 1990 values by 2012. The Member States of the European Union have jointly committed themselves to reduce emissions by eight percent, and at the March 2007 EU Summit the heads of state and government resolved to reduce CO2 emissions by an enormous 20 percent of the 1990 values by the year 2020. In the context of this resolution, Germany has committed itself to a 40% reduction by 2020. In 2007, Germany had already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by around 20.4% (UBA report [German]).
However, it is already clear that much more far-reaching reductions will be necessary at both a national and an international level in the future if we wish to put a stop to global warming.
The German government had resolved to phase out nuclear energy, a decision that will have great impact on the national energy supply. About one-third of German electricity is currently produced in nuclear power plants. This will need to be replaced by environmentally friendly alternatives over the next 20 years.
Climate change and the impending nuclear energy phase-out require a comprehensive change of course in energy production. Energy efficiency must improve on a massive scale and the contribution of renewable energy sources to power production must increase. In the past decade, wind energy showed the highest capacity growth of all renewable energy forms. Installed wind capacity in Germany during this period had soared up to about 17130 MW by 2005 (in the first half of 2005). The growth potential for wind energy in the coming decade is also very promising. Wind energy, whether onshore or offshore, will play an important role in the change of course in power production.