On 14-15 July 2014, about 35 Ministers and their representatives, the Co-Chairs of the ADP, as well as the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, met in Berlin at the invitation of the governments of Peru and Germany. In an informal setting Ministers discussed how to accelerate progress in the UN climate negotiations and how to enhance climate action in their respective countries. Chancellor Merkel called on Ministers to take immediate and bold action and stressed that all countries need to act. President Humala underlined in his speech Peru’s commitment to national climate action and to securing a successful outcome to COP20 in Lima. The main messages from the ministerial discussions are summarized below in a non-exhaustive manner.
Broadening the consensus on the 2015 climate agreement
Ministers acknowledged the need to accelerate work in 2014 on developing clear and concise elements of a draft negotiating text. The useful work so far had led to an increasing consensus that a number of elements needed to be balanced out in the final outcome, specifically: a clear signal that states intend to keep temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius or even 1.5 degrees Celsius by taking ambitious, equitable mitigation action and, as some suggested, by setting goals to decarbonize their economies in the long-term; improvement of resilience through national and collective actions on adaptation and loss and damage that strengthen existing institutional arrangements; reinforcement of the means of implementation (specifically finance, technology and capacity building) for promoting low-carbon and climate resilient development; and the provision of sufficient transparency to ensure both collective and individual ambition is sufficient, fair and appropriate. There was a broad understanding that the issues that would especially require political attention would most likely include the legal form of the agreement, differentiation, means of implementation and ambition.
For the complete conclusion, please see Petersberg Climate Dialogue V.
Ignoring cross border impacts of large infrastructure projects will spark conflict along rivers, argues Peter King. National level environmental impact assessments that ignore cross border impacts are likely to create conflict between countries.
Peat areas have played a pivotal role in conflicts globally, and have also been a point of contention during post-conflict recovery. Communities in Southeast Asia as well as in the countries of the Congo are facing challenges as finding political solutions for this problem.
Australia’s new prime minister will not walk away from the Paris climate agreement, although his new policies now make it unlikely the country will meet its emissions reduction goal. Ongoing trade talks with the EU could also hinge on how climate policy continues to develop.
On a visit at short notice to Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss a range of bilateral and international issues, including the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, and the future of the controversial gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2. The pair met for the second time within just three months to talk about the project.