• Title: Bali must lay the foundations for the future

• Speaker: Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel
• Occasion: Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP13/MOP3)
• Date/Location: 12.12.2007, Bali

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Thank you, Mr Chairman,
Dear colleagues,
Let me first thank the government of Indonesia for hosting this conference on the magnificent Island of Bali.

When we met last year in Nairobi, one could have the impression, the motto of the conference was: "you go first". This year, the people all over the world are demanding that the motto of the conference should be changed to "me too" - and they are right.

My country is confident that this conference will be a success. This is the reason why our government decided to reduce our green house gas emissions by 40 per cent compared to 1990 levels. And this also the reason why we have already put in place 15 legally binding decisions in order to reach this ambitious target.

Germany is also convinced that the final result of the negations in 2009 will live up to the following expectations:

1. We will combine the fight against poverty and the fight against climate change. For the industrialised countries this is the most important task: We need technologies which foster economic growth and better living standards while emitting fewer green house gases. Poverty eradication is linked to the access to energy. We, the industrialised countries, must share the technologies to produce and consume energy more efficiently and increase the share of renewables. And therefore, what we need here in Bali is a decision how to organize technology transfer. We should not postpone this precondition for a successful climate policy.

   As a first step Germany decided last week to provide an extra 120 million Euro every year for technology transfer and adaptation in developing countries. This brings Germany’s contribution, including spending on economic cooperation and development in the field of climate change, up to 1 billion per year.

   Climate change is not fair. It hits the poorest who are least responsible for its cause the hardest. Therefore, cooperating closely with developing countries in dealing with technology and adaptation is a question of justice and fairness.

2. Industrialised countries have to agree on more than on the long-term goal of a 50% reduction by 2050 on the global level. Nothing is easier for politicians than making promises, which their grandchildren have to keep. It is imperative that industrialised countries agree on mid-term goals if we want to succeed and be credible.

   Of course we will need in the future a stronger engagement for mitigation in the fast growing developing countries. But there is a precondition:

   Industrialised countries must be ready to reduce greenhouse gases by 30% by 2020. And, as the IPCC has pointed out, this is nothing more than the necessary consequence if we want to reach a 50% reduction by 2050 at the global level. We can discuss the ways and means how to get there until 2009. But the goal, the reduction of 30% by 2020, should not be questioned. Otherwise the industrialised countries lose their credibility. And such a global target of a reduction by 30% by 2020 should also be acceptable to the United States of America., because it is a consequence of mathematics - not of politics. And this is no pre-decision on instruments and the national responsabilities.

For Germany the successes in Bali, Poznan and Copenhagen are a fact and therefore we are ready today to act accordingly.

Why? Some may think we are idealists. No we are realists! We know that our economy will suffer if we do not stop climate change. We do not want our children and grand children to pay the bill. It would cost them up to 20% of their income, as Lord Nicholas Stern has calculated. They have the right to enjoy the same standard of living we enjoy today.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
For us the measures we took are not a "burden". The real burden is climate change itself. To combat climate change is an opportunity:

• With the investment in modern technologies we have already created 235.000 new jobs in Germany. And we intend to double this number with the programme we decided on last week.
• Millions of houses have bad insulation. In the winter we heat our gardens more than our living room. Investing in insulation means more money in our pockets and less wasted energy.

So what we want to "share" during the negotiations on the road from Bali to Copenhagen is not the "burden", but the "opportunities":

• opportunities for growth and development worldwide;
• job opportunities;
• And most of all a secure future in a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren.

Further information:

• Overview: Climate Change Conference in Bali
• http://unfccc.int: website of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC)