At the climate negotiations that wrapped up yesterday in Bonn, countries agreed on the negotiating text for the climate summit in Paris (30 November to 11 December 2015). On this basis, an agreement in Paris is possible. However, it still contains a lot of options, and it is long and complicated.
Federal Environment Minister Hendricks, who is participating in the ecumenical pilgrimage for climate justice today, made the following statement: "The signal of the international community is clear: We want to reach an agreement in Paris and we have a common basis for doing so. We are also thereby assuming joint responsibility for the text. It is clear that we still have much work ahead of us before the text can be agreed on."
To date, more than 150 countries, which are responsible for over 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have presented their intended contributions to the new climate agreement. Federal Environment Minister Hendricks: "This is an unprecedented amount of concrete climate contributions from the international community. This provides a basis for the adoption of a comprehensive climate deal with contributions from all states in Paris."
Hendricks continued: "We need a transformation to a climate-friendly global economy that is fully free from fossil energies and well prepared for changes in the climate. Studies show that the contributions presented so far will lead to significantly lower emissions. But they are not yet sufficient to meet the 2 degree limit. This is why Germany has been working intensely for months to incorporate an ambition mechanism into the new climate agreement, a scheme in which countries must check every 5 years to determine what additional contributions they can make. This idea was supported in Bonn by many countries now."
The remaining agenda for the run-up to the climate conference in Paris: From 8 to 10 November 2015 the so-called "Pre-COP" will take place in Paris. There, about 80 countries will hold political-level discussions on possibilities for agreement for the climate summit on the basis of the text that has been agreed in Bonn. This will be done at the invitation of France's upcoming presidency. The climate conference in Paris will be opened on 30 November with a meeting of heads of state and government.