Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment Barbara Hendricks attended the ceremony of the United Nations in New York this Friday to sign the Paris Agreement making Germany one of the first signatory states of the climate agreement. The agreement is the first to place all countries of the world under a joint obligation.
Minister Hendricks: "The spirit of Paris is alive. Never before in the history of the United Nations has an agreement been signed by so many countries this quickly. This shows that the world has understood the importance of ambitious climate action. It is now vital that we breathe life into the agreement as quickly as possible. This is why we are working on a climate action plan that will lead the way to a largely greenhouse gas neutral Germany in 2050. Since Paris it is clear that the whole world is following this path. I want to play my part in maintaining Germany’s role as pioneer."
By signing the agreement, countries are signalling their approval of the agreement's contents. Once the next step has been taken, i. e. once the agreement has been ratified it will become internationally binding. In many countries, including Germany, consent of the national parliament is required for the treaty to be ratified at national level. The Paris Agreement will enter into force when at least 55 countries, emitting at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified it.
The agreement sets the internationally binding target to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, if possible even to below 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. Furthermore, greenhouse gas neutrality is to be achieved in the second half of the century. A global energy system transformation will be required for such goals to be achieved. Global financial flows will also be geared towards climate-friendly development.
Germany and the EU want to ratify the agreement as soon as possible. EU states can only ratify together. The distribution of the climate targets within the EU must first be clarified. The European Commission is currently working on a proposal on this issue due this summer.
The official German translation of the agreement was published to coincide with the signing. The translation of the text was coordinated by the German government with the German-speaking countries Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein, as well as with the European Commission. It has now been published on the BMUB website.