UN climate talks were concluded today in Bonn. Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks regards the negotiations as an important step on the path towards a new comprehensive climate agreement to be adopted at the end of 2015 in Paris. During the negotiations, countries were able to gain more clarity and develop a common understanding of the possible options regarding important issues on the structure and content of the future climate agreement. A foundation of trust was established at the start of negotiations during a discussion at ministerial level in which all countries outlined their expectations of the new climate agreement.
Federal Environment Minister Hendricks commented: "Bonn was an important stopover on the journey to Lima and Paris. We have here an ever expanding group of countries that is commited to an ambitious climate agreement."
This year's Bonn Climate Conference, which takes place every summer, included a meeting of the ministers for the first time. During the ministerial talks, Minister Hendricks announced that Germany will further strengthen its climate mitigation efforts in order to achieve its ambitious targets - in particular through the "Climate Action Programme 2020".
In addition to this, Germany is calling on Brussels to introduce ambitious climate targets at EU level. The EU Commission's proposal for a swift and sustainable reform of EU emissions trading is a step in the right direction. The Federal Government is advocating further improvements so that the EU can take decisive climate action. For instance, CO2 allowances should be removed from the market permanently long before 2020 with a view to stabilising emissions trading.
Parallel to the climate negotiations, Minister Hendricks and Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation Gerd Müller announced that the German Government wishes to make more funds available for climate action and is willing to make a sizable contribution towards the establishment of the Green Climate Fund. Minister Hendricks added: "We are committed to climate mitigation internationally, at EU level and at national level."
A new climate agreement taking effect after 2020 is to be adopted at the Climate Change Summit in Paris 2015. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, this new climate agreement will contain commitments to be upheld by all developed countries, emerging economies and developing countries for the reduction of emissions. At the last Climate Conference in Warsaw in 2013, it was decided that by March 2015 all countries would submit concrete proposals for the commitments to be taken on in the new agreement. Negotiations in Bonn helped clarify what background information must be supplied by each country in their target proposals so that proposals will be transparent and comparable.
A positive outcome of the talks in Bonn was that a growing number of countries are in favour of analysing the proposals together after they have been submitted. This would make it possible to compare and negotiate how efforts can further be strengthened so as to ensure that ambitious commitments are adopted in Paris.