Germany and Japan aim to strengthen their cooperation in environmental protection

Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin and the Japanese Environment Minister Yuriko Koike met today in Tokyo for an opinion exchange on current environmental policy issues. Important topics of the discussions were:

1. Both parties welcomed the recent entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol as a first decisive step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They agreed to call on those countries which up to now have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol to do so in good time.



2. Both parties believe that climate protection is the most important challenge for environmental protection in the 21st century, and one which requires a global reaction and international cooperation. They highlighted the findings of the third report by the International Commission on Climate Change, that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced substantially in order to limit climate change to an acceptable threshold. Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin emphasised that the European Union defines this threshold as an increase in global temperature of no more than 2°C compared to preindustrial levels.



3. Both parties furthermore emphasised that it is crucial that developed countries lead the way, to set an example especially to major up and coming developing countries to play a role in limiting climate change. Based on the joint but differentiated responsibilities for climate change and global justice, developed countries should be assigned a leading role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.



4. On the basis of Germany's experience with the ecological tax reform, both sides judged economical instruments such as ecotaxes to be suitable and efficient measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and an important step towards adapting our societies to sustainable development through the integration of ecology and economy.



5. Both parties are convinced that renewable energies, combined with improved energy efficiency, can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As pioneers of technological developments in renewable energies they stressed the need for political concepts for the further increased use of renewables.



6. They agree to strengthen their bilateral cooperation. The Germany in Japan Year will offer a variety of opportunities to do this, for example a climate protection conference on 31st October and 1 November 2005 in Tokyo, organised jointly by the Wuppertal Institute and the Institute for Global Environmental Studies in Tokyo.



7. Both parties exchanged opinions on the need for an international institutional architecture to effectively face increasing and extensive environmental dangers in a globalised world. Against the background of a recently launched French initiative, supported by Germany, for enhancing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to a World Environment Organisation, the parties agreed on the importance of strengthening the environmental protection pillar of the United Nations in the context of the emerging debates on United Nations reform.



8. Both sides are convinced that the 3R policy - reduce, re-use recycle - is the key to a sustainable development in both developed and developing countries. They announced their intention of launching initiatives to promote the 3R strategy at national and international level. They agree to take on a leading role in implementing the anticipated results of the Ministerial Conference on the 3R Initiative.