The next decades

By 2017
the EU should be spending three per cent of GDP on research and development.

From 2020
the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that oil prices will rise sharply.

By 2021
the European Commission will review the directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (the RoHS directive).

By 2022
the last nuclear power plant in Germany is due to be shut down.

By 2030
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be achieved, including the goals on abolishing poverty and hunger, establishing gender equality and providing affordable clean energy.

From 2030
the German Länder are calling for a ban on combustion engines.

By 2031
a decision on a nuclear repository should have been reached.

By 2049
the resource transition in Germany can be achieved, according to a recent Oeko-Institut study.

By 2050
two-thirds of the world’s population will live and work in cities – according to a prediction by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

By 2050
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that there will be more plastic waste in the world’s oceans than fish.

By 2050
Germany plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 per cent (from the 1990 baseline).

By 2050
the share of renewable energy in Germany’s energy supply should be at least 80 per cent.

By 2100
the United Nations estimates that the world’s population will be 11.2 billion.