At the UN Climate Summit in New York, Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks called for increased commitment to climate action and climate finance. She said that major CO2 emitters should present ambitious climate action plans by the beginning of 2015 and added that Germany would stick to its target of reducing greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2020 and also undertake additional measures to protect the climate. Hendricks stated that rich countries should also make financial contributions to the Green Climate Fund before the end of this year. Germany will contribute up to a billion dollars - 750 million euros - to the fund.
In her speech during the plenary session of the United Nations Summit, Hendricks made the following statement: "Our goal is an agreement with fixed reduction commitments that are binding for all countries. For this to succeed, the richest countries must stand by the poorer countries as partners. Germany will contribute up to 750 million euros - around one billion US dollars - to the initial funding of the Green Climate Fund. Seeing as many countries as possible contribute to a substantial initial funding before the conference in Lima would send an im-portant signal to developing countries."
She also said it was very important not to lose sight of long-term goals beyond 2030, adding that by the end of the century we had to find a way for the global economy to function without additional carbon emissions and that it was clear that the global energy supply must be decarbonised. The minister emphasised that all plans to build new coal-fired power plants must be subjected to critical review.
She continued: "In the field of climate and development cooperation we will not provide any more funding for the construction of new plants, and in this context we will finance the modernisation of coal-fired power plants currently in operation only to a limited extent and in ac-cordance with clearly defined criteria. Germany's government is thus joining the initiative launched by several banks and industrialised countries."
Last week Germany began the ratification process for the new Kyoto obligations (Kyoto II) after a decision by the Federal Cabinet. Germany is thus working to see that the follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol can enter into force as quickly as possible.
In New York, Federal Minister Hendricks announced that Germany intended to cancel its excess Kyoto Protocol emission rights. To the extent it has over-achieved its target under European legislation in the non-emission-trading-sector, the remaining rights will not be sold, but rather cancelled successively. This will prevent additional climate action efforts in Germany from going to waste by the allowances being used elsewhere in the world and causing additional greenhouse gas emissions.