Foreign policy for the climate
The fight against climate change is a clear focal point of the Federal Government's policy – looking back over the past year.
The climate crisis is the global challenge that all countries have to face. That is why the fight against global warming is not just a task for states but a joint task for everyone. More than three billion people live in regions that are already so affected by climate change that their livelihoods are acutely threatened. If warming is to be limited to the 1.5 degrees cited by scientists as the limit value, emissions of greenhouse gases must be drastically reduced worldwide – a task that can only be achieved through international cooperation. This is the starting point for climate diplomacy. It is why Germany, as President and host of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in June 2022, reaffirmed its commitment to contribute at least 6 billion euros to international climate financing by 2025.
Example of Germany's climate diplomacy:
Germany is entering into national climate partnerships with many emerging and developing countries that are unable to bankroll the financial challenges of combating climate change on their own. This involves not only financial support, but also knowledge transfer and joint projects. Climate partnerships are also being set up at the regional and municipal levels for this purpose.
When Germany took its turn to be President of the G7 summit – a meeting of the seven most important democratic industrialized nations and the EU – it increased the focus on the fight against climate change. Climate Secretary Jennifer Morgan had previously said: "The G7 must be the engine and trailblazer in the fight against the climate crisis worldwide." The summit agreed on ambitious climate-protection measures, industrial transformation through accelerated decarbonization and close cooperation especially with emerging and developing countries.
The main outcome of the COP27 world climate conference in Egypt from 6 to 18 November was a compensation fund for climate damage and financial aid for poorer countries. Minister of State Anna Lührmann had called for this before the conference as one of Germany's important goals.
Avoiding plastic waste has been a key concern of German environmental policy for years. The Federal Republic therefore celebrated the decision by the UN Environment Assembly UNEA at its 5th session in Nairobi in March 2022 to end the pollution of the world with plastic waste (https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/environment/germany-and-environmental-protection-unea-against-plastic-pollution). Germany regards the decision as a major success, "comparable to the Paris climate protection agreement," said Steffi Lemke, Germany's Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
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