The goal: extensive greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050 In 2010, the German government decided to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 percent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. The German government reaffirms this long-term target and in pursuing it will make an appropriate contribution to implementing the commitment made in Paris, also with a view to the goal set out in the Paris Agreement of achieving global greenhouse gas neutrality in the second half of the century. As a leading industrialised nation and the EU member state with the strongest economy, we have already geared our Climate Action Plan to the guiding prin- ciple of extensive greenhouse gas neutrality by the middle of the century. Germany's per capita green- house gas emissions are higher than the EU average, and considerably higher than the global average. It must also be borne in mind that the sum of the NDCs that are the backbone of the Paris Agreement is not yet enough to keep global warming below 2 degrees. Therefore, the onus is on all parties to go beyond their current targets.