Germany’s greenhouse‑gas emissions released in 2024 are estimated to cause more than €640 billion in damage, according to new calculations from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). The figures come from the agency’s latest “Environmental Cost Handbook”.
“Using the new methodology, we can see how greatly our emissions harm both people in Germany and around the world” UBA president Dirk Messner told reporters on Tuesday. “If we take the damage to current and future generations seriously, climate protection must be seen as central economic and social insurance. Every ton of greenhouse gases we can keep out of the atmosphere reduces real harm to health, prosperity, infrastructure and economic performance”.
When present‑day and future wellbeing are given equal weight, UBA’s calculations assign a damage cost of €1,000 per tonne of CO₂ in 2026. By contrast, the current carbon price under the national emissions trading scheme for heating oil, gasoline, and diesel is only about €55-65 per tonne.
The agency says the new cost framework makes it easier to evaluate the benefits of preventive measures and to embed those benefits in political and business decisions. In the public sector, environmental cost estimates help gauge the impacts of new laws or infrastructure investments; in the private sector, they support sustainability reporting and aid companies in weighing investment choices.