Overview

• The proposal earmarks peatland rewetting to deliver 28 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent savings within the package’s 2045 horizon.
• The ministry identifies drained peat soils as the land-use sector’s largest emitter at over 50 million tonnes CO2e per year, roughly seven percent of national output.
• Germany’s forests have recently acted as a net source after drought damage, and the land-use sector is off the legally mandated reduction path, according to the paper.
• Funding builds on the federal natural-climate program with more than €3.5 billion budgeted for 2024–2028 and a planned rise to over €1.1 billion annually from 2028.
• The measures include forest conversion, gentler farming and de-sealing, rely on incentives rather than new regulation, and drew varied responses from NGOs, with NABU welcoming the plan as DUH and BUND urged stronger requirements.