German official: Ukraine war will boost low-emissions tech

BERLIN (AP) — A senior German official has predicted that the war in Ukraine and its impact on fossil fuel prices worldwide will provide a “massive boost” for the means and measures needed to curb climate change. Germany’s deputy energy and climate minister said rising global prices for oil, gas and coal will accelerate the uptake of low-emission technology that simultaneously reduces countries’ reliance on imports from Russia. An annual report on Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions shows they rose sharply in 2021 after a pandemic-induced dip the year before. Preliminary figures show Germany released the equivalent of 762 million metric tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere last year.  That’s 33 millions tons, or about 4.5%, more than in 2020.