The German government is scrambling to agree a package of measures for tackling global warming, as protesters prepare to stage rallies across the country demanding decisive action against climate change.
Chancellor Angela Merkel planned to hold a special Cabinet meeting Friday to discuss the outcome of all-night talks between the leaders of Germany‘s governing parties, who have been split over how best to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Merkel’s center-right Union bloc wants to establish a national emissions trading system, while the center-left Social Democrats favor increasing fuel taxes. The two sides are also at odds about the starting price for carbon emissions and the steps by which it should increase.
Germany wants to cut its emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.