The Climate Change Conference in Doha has illustrated once more the time consuming process to negotiate an agreement. Further steps have to be taken to slow down climate change. As part COP 18 in Doha, an event held by the Federal Foreign Office looked at the joint steps Europe could take with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Representatives of the Federal Foreign Office, the European Commission, the ASEAN Secretariat and other stakeholders discussed how the negative consequences of climate change such as flooding and storms can be overcome in joint strategies. The talks were moderated by adelphi's Managing Director, Alexander Carius.
Laurence Graff from the European Commission's Directorate General for Climate Action emphasised the importance of alliances for an ambitious agreement on global climate protection, and stressed that these require the systematic practice of climate diplomacy. Positive experiences in transboundary water cooperation could be further developed in this connection with partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The discussion also highlighted the fact that issues such as migration and water shortage have so far not been sufficiently dealt with in international climate negotiations, and further appraoches in climate diplomacy should therefore be developed.
For this article, please see adelphi.
The severity of desertification and its mutual relationship with climate change cannot be overstated. In light of the recent launch of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Robert McSweeney from Carbon Brief explains what desertification is, what role climate change plays, and what impact it has across the world.
“It is time to do more than just talk about sustainability. It is time to act sustainably,” said Heiko Maas during his speech at the General Debate of the 74th United Nations General Assembly. Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs highlighted the need for multilateral cooperation to achieve worldwide sustainability, as well as Germany's focus on climate-security, women, and disarmament and arms control as part of its agenda in the UN Security Council.
Strengthening multilateralism is a prominent task of foreign policy and central to achieving sustainable development and securing a peaceful future. Here you can watch, hear and read innovative ideas on how diplomats can drive sustainable change by gearing-up international cooperation to shape a truly sustainable foreign policy.
Ahead of the most important climate action event of the year, the international expert community releases key reports with the latest scientific information on climate impacts, national targets and climate action progress over the last 25 years. Now climate diplomats have only one thing to focus on: stepping-up implementation.