Germany has unveiled a plan to reduce carbon emissions that are warming the planet. The plan aims to help Germany meet a goal of reducing emissions by 40 percent by the year 2020, but environmentalists say the proposed steps don’t go far enough to reduce the country’s use of coal-fired power plants. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon touted commitments by Germany and other countries before traveling to participate in the U.N. climate summit in Lima, Peru, next week.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “We are determined to sustain the momentum generated by the recent important announcements by the United States, China, European Union and, yesterday, Germany on emission reductions. Next year is an opportunity to take big steps, transformative steps, in the right direction. We must do all it takes to provide hope for people and the planet.”