German Ministers Agree to Cut CO2 Emissions 36 pct

BERLIN - Germany's economy and environment ministers have agreed that Germany should reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 36 percent by 2020 compared with the level of emissions in 1990, the environment minister said on Wednesday.

Further targets will follow, Sigmar Gabriel told reporters.

Gabriel and Economy Minister Michael Glos have found it difficult to reach an agreement on what an appropriate target for Germany's emissions reduction should be.

European Union leaders agreed earlier this year to cut EU emissions by 20 percent versus 1990 by 2020, or by 30 percent if other nations followed suit. Germany is proposing a much tougher target, arousing anxieties about the impact on economic growth.

This target to reduce greenhouse gases, blamed for global warming, is one of the items to be discussed at a German cabinet meeting on Thursday.