"Petersberg Climate Dialogue" is basis for further climate protection cooperation
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue has brought new momentum to the international climate negotiations. "These two-and-a-half days of intensive discussions have clearly shown that there is broad consensus among the international community. I am delighted that with the Petersberg Climate Dialogue we have succeeded in holding an open exchange in a constructive atmosphere of trust. This is a good basis for further cooperation and sets us off on the road to an ambitious UN climate agreement", commented Federal Environment Minister Röttgen at the end of the discussions. Ministers responsible for climate protection from 43 countries have been meeting on the Petersberg in Bonn since Sunday (2 May) at the invitation of Germany and Mexico.
The participants agreed that combating climate change remains an urgent challenge and that swift, joint action by the international community is indispensible. At the Petersberg Climate Dialogue the participants held intensive discussions on the next steps in international climate policy. "I heard many participants voicing support for embedding decisions on specific issues in a binding climate protection agreement. Whether we will be able to achieve this in Cancún remains to be seen. What is very clear is that we must begin now with concrete implementation of climate protection in developed and developing countries," continued Minister Röttgen. A range of countries presented climate protection initiatives that can serve as models for further, concrete cooperation between developing and developed countries in the field of climate protection.
At the meeting Germany, together with South Africa and South Korea, launched an initiative to support developing countries in elaborating environment- and climate-friendly growth strategies. Implementation of these strategies must be transparent, measurable and comprehensible.
All ministers agreed that top priority is the concrete implementation of climate protection measures in parallel to the UN negotiations. A whole range of countries presented specific projects on the Petersberg, for example initiatives to reduce deforestation or technology projects for more climate protection.
In this context Federal Environment Minister Röttgen announced that the German government will use around 30 percent, i.e. at least 350 million euros, of the fast-start financing for international climate protection for the prevention of deforestation in developing countries. Additionally, it will pay 10 million euros into the Kyoto Protocol's Adaptation Fund to support adaptation measures in developing countries that are particularly affected by climate change.
The participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue reaffirmed their commitment to the 2°C target: the global temperature rise must be limited to below this level in order to keep climate change at a still manageable level. However, the latest studies show that global climate protection efforts to date are not enough to keep the temperature rise below this limit. The environment ministers meeting on the Petersberg identified the following priority issues for further UN negotiations:
- reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developed and newly industrialising countries,
- setting up an international system for monitoring mitigation activities,
- supporting adaptation measures in developing countries and
- financing international climate protection.
Ministers saw considerable progress in the UN negotiation process that can be built on this year regarding further issues such as reducing deforestation, promoting climate-friendly technologies and further developing emissions trading schemes.