Germany’s been a global leader in energy policy for some time now. (For what it’s worth, we picked Germany as the “model” for the Cascadia Scorecard’s energy indicator because it was doing 
such a bang-up job with its energy policy.)
And if anything, it looks like their efforts to reduce emissions are picking up steam:
German use of oil, gas and coal in 2007 fell by 5.6 per cent compared with 2006, according to a new report from [oil company] BP…
The report emerged as the German government passed a new round of environmental laws designed to ensure the country meets ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets.
I took a look at the BP Statistical Review of World Energy—and the news report is correct: Germany has made some impressive strides in reducing energy consumption, not just recently, but over the course of a decade. The graph to the right shows oil consumption per person—which has fallen by 18 percent since 1997.
File this in the “Yes, sane energy policy is possible” file.
Doug Hendren, M.D.
This is an important data point in the big picture, and a very encouraging one. Most energy projections I have seen stress the fact that the net increase in energy demand in most industrial economies is so steep that fossil fuel use will continue to rise despite the deployment of renewable energy sources. This article may give us a basis for revising our current understanding about what is achievable with current technology. Thank you!