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Background
 

Background information on the Climate Change Conference in Montreal

The 11th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 11) will take place from 28 November to 9 December 2005 in Montreal – it is also the first meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force on 16 February 2005. The High-Level segment of the Climate Change Conference in Montreal will be held from 7 to 9 December 2005.

The host country Canada expects this to be one of the largest conferences on climate change in history with more than 10,000 delegates from governments, industry, science and environmental associations.

As the first meeting of the by now 156 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP1), the Climate Change Conference in Montreal is an historic event. The Kyoto Protocol is the first agreement to set binding limits for greenhouse gas emissions from industrialised countries. Within the framework of the so-called burden-sharing of the EU, Germany committed to cut its emissions to 21 % below 1990 levels by 2012. 18.5 per cent were already achieved by the end of 2003.

The German Government wants to achieve two important results in Montreal. Firstly, the Kyoto Protocol has to be operationalised by the formal adoption of the rules for implementation (the so-called Marrakesh Accords). Secondly, a negotiation process for the further development of the international climate regime beyond 2012 has to be initiated.

From the German Government's point of view the aims of the new round of negotiations have to be in line with the EU's 2 degree target. For this purpose an essential extension and deepening of the reduction commitments is aimed at for the time after 2012. The architecture of the Kyoto Protocol (especially "cap and trade") should basically be preserved with individual aspects being developed further and supplemented. European industry and administration have heavily invested in the development of flexible Kyoto mechanisms. The first success is the transition to low carbon technology which has set in. Adequate tools have to be found for developing countries to decouple the development of their emissions from economic development. The negotiations should be as broad and open as possible to enable all states to participate.

Further information on the Climate Change Conference in Montreal:
Agendas of the meetings are available at http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_11/items/3394.php

As host country, Canada has organised a number of side events to accompany the Conference of the Parties. Conferences on the impacts of climate change and on the economic opportunities of climate protection will be held. Furthermore there will be meetings between representatives of regions and cities from all over the world who will share their concrete contributions to climate protection. The goal is to develop a network connecting these actors. Regions and cities should learn from each other's experience in order to make better progress in climate protection.

www.montreal2005.gc.ca/

Speeches by Sigmar Gabriel:
- 09.12.2005: "Arab countries offer ideal conditions for renewable energies"
- 08.12.2005: "The beginning of a partnership in climate protection"
- 07.12.2005: "Signing the new headquarters agreement for the Climate Change Secretariat"
- 07.12.2005: "The global expansion of renewable energies is a response to the challenge of climate change"
- 07.12.2005: "We need to build upon Kyoto, not to replace it"

Further information (in german language) can be found here.