( CNN ) -- The recent climate summit in Lima , Peru , has laid the foundations for a new climate treaty to be adopted in Paris in 2015 . We have made significant progress toward an agreement that for the first time will involve all countries in serious efforts to combat climate change . The compromise reached in Lima ensures that all opportunities are open for negotiations to be successful over the coming year . This progress is welcome because ultimately , taking action on the climate is both a moral issue and the key to our well-being . Indeed , in recognition of the importance of tackling climate change , Germany earlier this month adopted a package of measures that will considerably bolster our efforts . The package we passed provides the instruments we need to achieve our goal of cutting emissions by 40 % by 2020 compared with 1990 levels . It includes additional measures for all relevant sectors -- from energy generation , transportation and agriculture to insulating buildings . Once , such changes might have sparked widespread concern that we would somehow be hampering our competitiveness . Yet the European Union has been able to banish the myth that ambitious climate action is detrimental to the economy . Between 1990 and 2012 , for example , greenhouse gas emissions in the EU fell by 18 % , while the overall economy grew by around 45 % . The reality is that greater prosperity does n't have to mean more greenhouse gas emissions , poorer environmental protection or higher resource consumption . In fact , in the future , the opposite will surely prove to be true : Only those economies that take the Earth 's planetary boundaries seriously will be able to achieve sustained success . Of course , doubts remain . Yet 15 years after we launched our `` Energiewende '' -- the move away from an energy supply based on fossil and nuclear fuels -- the economic impact has been broadly extremely positive : Renewable energy sources now account for nearly 30 % of our electricity demands , and by 2050 , our energy supply will be based almost completely on renewable sources . Indeed , the boom in environmental technologies is one of the reasons Germany made it through the economic crisis relatively unscathed . There are now over 1.5 million people working in this sector . Technologies such as photovoltaics are now commercially viable despite the doubts about their economic benefits only 10 years ago . Meanwhile , money that would otherwise have been needed to import expensive fossil resources now instead goes to individuals , cooperatives , farmers , and small and medium-sized enterprises , that can all themselves become energy suppliers . The second pillar of our climate policy is energy efficiency . In a world where political tensions are mounting even as the hunger for natural resources grows , efficient production is becoming the deciding factor for a country 's competitiveness . With this in mind , Germany supports companies that optimize their refrigeration facilities , for example , or that use heat-power co-generation . But even as we improve the standards for new construction , we also have to face the challenge of the considerable existing stock of public and private buildings . Our goal is to ensure that these buildings are climate-neutral by 2050 , and we have allocated significant state funding to stimulate private investment in improving the energy efficiency of our buildings . Scientists have long agreed that climate action strengthens economic development and creates an opportunity for comprehensive modernization of our economies . The age of fossil fuel is coming to an end , just as the age of the horse and cart , the steam locomotive and the oil lamp eventually came to an end . But to hasten this end , we must invest in our future . Scientists estimate that more than $ 90 trillion will need to be invested globally in public infrastructure and energy systems over the next 15 years . Agreements like the one in Lima will encourage greater certainty in green investment , but that deal is not the end , merely the latest part of an ongoing , global change that we need to promote . We are pleased that the United States , with recent announcements by President Barack Obama , is also willing to contribute to this change , thus testifying to the country 's continuing ability to modernize itself while retaining its traditional values . Back in September , while world leaders were preparing to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings , demonstrators came together in New York to demand that we take climate change seriously . It was an inspiring scene , one that I hope all leaders took to heart . These demonstrators in New York called for us to act now , not tomorrow . Let us do just that .
Lima : Barbara Hendricks climate talks marked significant progress . Tackling climate change does n't have to hurt economy , she writes . Germany has passed measures to cut emissions dramatically by tomorrow . U.S. welcomes Germany contributions on climate policy , author says .