Germany has committed to phasing out all fossil fuels by 2045, marking the first time the country has made this explicit commitment according to a government roadmap published on Wednesday. This represents a significant shift from previous climate pledges, which only referred to achieving "carbon neutrality" without specifying the elimination of fossil fuels themselves. The commitment reflects mounting pressure to address fossil fuel dependence, which has exposed households and businesses to energy price volatility and geopolitical insecurity.

The roadmap sets ambitious renewable energy targets, including increasing renewable electricity from 55% to 80% by 2030, alongside 12GW of additional onshore wind capacity and 215GW of solar energy installations. Germany has reaffirmed plans to exit coal by 2038, with potential acceleration to 2035, whilst committing to a 30% reduction in methane emissions by 2030. Germany becomes the third major developed economy to publish such a comprehensive phaseout plan, following France and the Netherlands, though it faces ongoing political resistance from conservative and far-right parties opposing measures such as heat pump installations to replace gas boilers.