Around 35 ministers from all over the world invited to Berlin
Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze and designated President of the next UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Polish State Secretary Michal Kurtya, invited approximately 35 ministers from all corners of the world to Berlin to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue taking place on 18 and 19 June. Under the heading "Changing together for a just transition", the meeting is shining the spotlight on social aspects of climate action for the first time. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will address the delegates on Tuesday.
The concept of a just transition refers to the equitable transformation of a fossil fuel-based economy into a sustainable economy. The meeting on Monday morning will address how this transition can be achieved in socially-compatible way. A representative of the International Trade Union Confederation will also participate in the meeting.
Another topic on the agenda will be preparations for the 24th UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice next December. Together with the Polish Presidency, delegates will discuss what a balanced conference outcome might look like. The implementing rules for the Paris Agreement are to be adopted in Katowice. These rules will, for example, ensure that contributions of the individual countries will be measurable and comparable.
Climate finance will also be addressed in detail. The focus here will also be on equity i.e. support from industrialised countries for developing countries. Industrialised countries are responsible for the majority of CO2 in the atmosphere, while developing countries are the ones suffering most heavily from the consequences of climate change. One of the questions to be discussed will be how to best provide support that is as effective, reliable and predictable as possible.
On Tuesday, in addition to speeches from the Federal Chancellor and the Polish Prime Minister, there will be discussions centering on the Talanoa Dialogue. The Talanoa Dialogue is intended to motivate countries to review their NDCs by 2020 and to send a clear political signal at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice in December. The current national climate targets are not yet enough for the international community to ward off dangerous climate change as agreed in Paris.
The German government has been organising the Petersberg Climate Dialogue since 2010. In its first year, the event was held on the Petersberg near Bonn. Since then, this meeting has established itself as an important event for international climate diplomacy. It is held in an informal setting to encourage open debate. The co-chair of the Climate Dialogue is the country presiding over the next UN Climate Change Conference.