As part of a comprehensive European strategy for reducing CO2 emissions, the European Commission has proposed fiscal measures which have the support of the Federal Government. Owing to the rapidly increasing environmental pollution of recent years caused by the production and consumption of energy, greater attention will have to be paid to more economical and rational methods. Both the German energy industry and consumers have already achieved considerable progress in conserving energy and ensuring its environmentally friendly use. Internationally, Germany ranks at the top in many areas of energy-related environmental protection. At the end of 1996, for instance, there were about 4,300 wind turbines with a total output of 1,550 megawatts.