Merkel calls for honouring Paris deal as German climate action falters
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a resolute implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement to curb global warming and prove that international accords can effectively tackle worldwide challenges. The chancellor said hard-won international deals such as the Paris Climate Agreement or the UN鈥檚 Agenda 2030 showed that the international community is capable of making far-reaching agreements. 鈥淣ow we have to prove that they can be implemented, too.鈥�
In her speech to an audience at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin - a forum launched in the framework of last year鈥檚 G20 summit in Hamburg that brings together think tanks, businesses, policymakers and international organisations from around the world - Merkel praised multilateralism and the rule of international law as the only viable tools for tackling problems such as 聽鈥渉umanity鈥檚 challenge鈥� of climate change or rapid digitalisation. 鈥淪eizing the opportunities of globalisation and limiting its risks 鈥� this is best done together,鈥� she said.
Germany鈥檚 former role as a climate action pioneer has suffered internationally during the previous term of 鈥�climate Chancellor鈥� Merkel as it struggles to achieve self-imposed climate targets and to adequately support European emissions reduction efforts. Its efforts to reduce CO2 output have faltered in recent years and it might have to buy its way out of EU climate goals.
Although Merkel sticks to a rhetoric of resolute climate action, critics say Germany鈥檚 coalition treaty between Merkel鈥檚 conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD) lacks ambition and detailed measures to fulfil to Paris Agreement鈥檚 targets and further the Energiewende, Germany鈥檚 dual effort of replacing fossil and nuclear power with renewable energy sources.
Climate action "best economic policy"
At the summit in Berlin, Merkel warned that 鈥済lobal thinking and solution seeking are being challenged by some, to say the least鈥�, arguing that multilateral approaches are always more tedious and less enthralling than national solutions. 鈥淗owever, there鈥檚 nothing better than the multilateral approach,鈥� Merkel said. She argued that international law and institutions are weakened if completed agreements are no longer supported. She insisted that it is of paramount importance for the whole world if a country like China abides by the rules of the global economy. 鈥淚t takes optimism to surmount the global problems of our time,鈥� she added.
Merkel said that, despite all its flaws and criticism, the Hamburg summit had been a success. While not bringing complete unanimity on climate action, negotiations in Hamburg achieved that all member states except the USA remain in the Paris Agreement. The 19 other countries were 鈥渄etermined to implement the Paris Agreement鈥�.
At the same event, German environment minister Svenja Schulze from the SPD said the G20 had originally started as a gathering to discuss financial affairs but now 鈥渃ould not be thought of without climate action and sustainability鈥� as core agenda topics.
She said investments in climate protection and sustainability now had become 鈥�the best economic policy鈥� and that the private sector had to be encouraged to ramp up its activities. 鈥淲e need to break new ground. Market mechanisms like the emissions trading system accompanied by social security measures,鈥� Schulze said.
Cars and coal weigh heavily on German climate record
In an by the Green Party on Germany鈥檚 willingness to pick up a demand by the European Parliament to increase the EU鈥檚 2030 targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy share from 27 to 35 percent compared to 1990 levels, the government said it has to 鈥渆xamine鈥� how much it can 鈥渕ake concessions to the European Parliament鈥檚 proposal鈥�. Germany is currently on track to widely miss its own 2020 climate target of reducing emissions by 40 percent.
The new government has said it will ensure that the 2030 target of reducing emissions by 55 percent is reached. Environmental NGOs say a rapid phase-out of coal-fired power production is central to achieving the cut - but the commission in charge of managing the 鈥渃oal exit鈥� is likely to emphasise economic stability and jobs over emissions reduction.
Moreover, Germany鈥檚 emissions in the transport sector have actually increase since 1990. The country has been heavily criticised for preventing tighter vehicle emissions limits at the EU level to protect its mighty car industry.
