27th World Climate Conference comes to an end

Source: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection , November 16 2022

Today, the 27th World Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh came to an end. As "Team Germany", the German government has worked both within the framework of the negotiations, as well as through concrete initiatives and partnerships, for more ambition in curbing the climate crisis, as well as for more solidarity with the states that are most affected by the effects of the climate crisis.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: "We went together as Team Germany to Sharm El-Sheikh to achieve more ambition in the fight against the climate crisis and more solidarity with the most vulnerable states. There is light and shade in the outcome. We acted united as the EU, built a broad alliance of states and thus together achieved a breakthrough on the issue of Loss & Damage, where we opened a new chapter on climate justice. But the agreed steps to reduce emissions are far from sufficient, given the dramatic impact that the climate crisis is already having today. The gap to 1.5 degrees continues to stand gaping open, and some countries have blocked any attempt to close it a bit. At the same time, don't be fooled: the vast majority of countries around the world are betting their future on solar and wind, not oil and coal. Not only have we worked to accelerate the global energy transition in the negotiations, but we have also pushed in parallel through new partnerships with South Africa, Indonesia, Kenya and Egypt. Therefore, although the COP ended this morning, the work for the reduction of emissions, the expansion of solar and wind and for more solidarity with the most vulnerable continues."

Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck: "A difficult climate conference has come to an end, with a result that can not really make us satisfied. Through the consistent attitude of the EU and the prudent German negotiation leadership, however, a backslide behind Paris and Glasgow has been prevented. It is also good that the focus has shifted to financial support for particularly vulnerable countries - and we industrialized countries have an obligation. The mandate from the Paris climate agreement now applies all the more: to work persistently on concrete projects to actually curb global warming. The priority now is to drive forward the joint move away from coal, oil and gas - through a sustainable, socially just, global energy transition and the decarbonization of industry. This is the only way we can get on the 1.5-degree path. We are working on this - and have already made concrete progress: together with other EU countries, we want to realize an electricity link to Morocco in the next two years. We are removing obstacles to the transmission of electricity from Africa and the Middle East. We are also making progress with the development of green hydrogen networks. The new hydrogen fund, which supports the global South in its own climate-friendly energy investments, provides a strong platform for this."

Development Minister Svenja Schulze: "The outcome of the climate conference is a mixed picture: too little progress on ambition, great progress on solidarity. Germany has proven at the climate conference as a reliable partner for developing countries. The new fund for climate damage and loss within the official UN climate regime shows that we have succeeded in building bridges between industrialized and developing countries. The fact that the global community is finally giving the issue of climate damage and loss the attention it deserves is a real breakthrough after decades of wrangling. Germany will contribute a fair share to dealing with climate damage. In the concrete design of the fund, I will make sure that all those who have contributed to the climate disaster pay their share. This includes above all the biggest emitters, the USA, China and of course the EU. But we must not wait until the fund is in place; the climate damage is already happening today. That is why we are already starting to implement the Global Climate Risk Shield, which all signatory states expressly welcomed in the final declaration. The clear commitment of the global community that the development banks must do significantly more for climate protection is also important. That gives me tailwind to push the reform of the World Bank and other financial institutions initiated with the USA further."

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: "The result of the COP27 as a whole falls short of what is necessary. This is extremely bitter. That the international community has agreed on the establishment of a fund for the compensation of climate-related damage in the poorest and most vulnerable countries, on the other hand, is an important step to better manage the consequences of the climate crisis in the future. One message has been received at the 27th World Climate Conference: Climate protection depends on the protection of nature and intact ecosystems. Despite the overall difficult negotiations, it is very gratifying that Nature-based Solutions and Natural Climate Protection were important topics at COP27 and found their way into the final declaration. This gives me a tailwind for the World Conference on Nature in Montréal in December. In Sharm EL-Sheikh, we talked about how to keep our ecosystems intact so that they protect us from storm surges, heavy rain, heat and drought and help us make progress on climate protection. In the process, COP27 has come to recognize that the three existential crises of our time - the climate crisis, the pollution crisis, and the species extinction crisis - are interconnected and can only be solved together."

Background

Outside the negotiating rooms, we have also succeeded in agreeing on substantial concrete progress that will curb global emissions and the impacts of the climate crisis. Such concrete initiatives are taking an increasingly large share of the world's climate conferences. Together with its partners, "Team Germany" comprising the Federal Foreign Office, the Development, Climate and Environment Ministries has been able to provide decisive impetus here:

• The Global Umbrella against Climate Risks, which Germany launched as G7 presidency together with the V20, the group of 58 particularly vulnerable states. The umbrella systematically analyzes, country by country, which protection gaps exist and develops protection packages with the most affected countries to financially protect people against climate-related loss and damage.
• A first implementation of the protection umbrella has been discussed by Development Minister Schulze with Pakistan, one of the pioneer countries, and concrete assistance for risk analysis and social protection has been pledged.
• The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with Indonesia was agreed during the COP at the G20 Summit in Bali. With public and private funds of 20 billion US dollars, Indonesia will accelerate its energy transition by ten years.
• It was agreed with the concrete implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership with South Africa with a loan of 300 million euros to accelerate the energy transition.
• With Kenya, Germany has agreed on a climate and development partnership. The goal of the partnership is 100 percent renewable by 2030, which shows other developing countries: Development is also possible without fossil energy sources.
• Germany and the U.S. have agreed with Egypt on an accelerated energy transition, which also includes social compensation for workers in the gas industry.
• The German Chancellor has doubled Germany's commitment to forest protection to two billion euros.
• Together with Egypt, we launched the new "Enact" initiative to coordinate global efforts to combat climate change, land and ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss through nature-based solutions (NbS). In doing so, we also looked ahead to the World Conservation Conference (CBF-COP15) in Montreal in December.
• Development and Economics Ministries have established a platform for the international development of a green hydrogen economy, targeting value creation in developing countries in addition to German needs.
• The Sustainable Electricity Transition Roadmap with Morocco has been signed by Germany and other EU countries. It provides for a direct connection of European electricity grids with Morocco's electricity grid and a reduction of barriers to the transmission of renewable electricity from Africa. This is to be realized by 2024 at the latest.

The full press release can be found here.