German greenhouse gases emissions dropped 8.7% in 2020: UBA

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German greenhouse gases emissions in 2020 totalled 739 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, 8.7% less than emitted in 2019, the Umweltbundesamt (UBA) environment agency said on Tuesday, citing lower industrial activity in the coronavirus pandemic and climate protection efforts.

The UBA, which reports to the environment ministry, said immediate measures should be taken to clean up the construction sector which managed a 2.8% cut to 120 million tonnes but still overshot a 118 million tonne target.

The numbers come ahead of official EU 2020 data on member state emissions on April 1 and give pointers to the wholesale markets for carbon emissions allowances.

(Reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Riham Alkousaa)