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UN climate conferences Position Paper | 17. June 2022

Creating an Inclusive and Ambitious Climate Alliance Instead of an Exclusive Climate Club

One of the most prominent projects launched by Germany during its G7 presidency has been the initiation of an international “climate club”. The push for an international climate alliance has come at the right time: A properly designed climate alliance can make an important contribution to global emissions reduction and climate justice, accelerate industrial transformation around the world, and create conditions for fair competition. In the worst case, however, the existence of a climate alliance can have the opposite of its intended effect; for example, if it is seen as an exclusive project of the West.

German climate policy and energy transition Blog post | 10.06.2022

What does 70 GW of offshore wind energy mean for energy infrastructure? - Germanwatch & Öko-Institut for Amprion's "Systemvision 2050"

In its coalition agreement, the German government has set itself the goal of expanding offshore wind energy to 70 GW by 2045. This target is polarising.

Logos: CAN and L&DC

UN climate conferences Briefing Paper | 31. May 2022

Towards a Glasgow Dialogue that matters

This briefing from Climate Action Network International (CAN) and The Loss and Damage Collaboration lays out the expectations of civil society and international loss and damage experts towards the Glasgow Dialogue on Loss & Damage (L&D) finance and makes concrete suggestions for its principles, milestones and deliverables. It does so with the ultimate objective of making the dialogue a results-oriented process through which adequate, new and additional support for the most vulnerable people and countries in addressing L&D is provided.

Pressemitteilung

Climate Litigation Press Release | 27.05.2022

Climate lawsuit against RWE in decisive phase: On-site meeting with experts in Peru concluded

The climate lawsuit of the Peruvian Andean farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya against the energy company RWE has entered the decisive phase six and a half years after the lawsuit was filed: After a long delay, especially due to the Corona pandemic, a site visit took place this week in the Andean city of Huaraz. Judges of the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Hamm (Germany), legal advisors and experts travelled to Peru to examine whether the plaintiff's house is threatened by a possible flood wave from the glacier lake Palcacocha above the city. The entire danger zone in Huaraz actually covers an area where around 50,000 people live.

Cover: Analysis National Development Banks and the Climate Crisis

UN climate conferences Analysis | 18. May 2022

Where to flow or not to flow to? The G7 should set the tone on export and development finance

At the forthcoming G7 Ministerials this week and next, Germany should push for stronger joint efforts to exit international fossil fuel financing. Considering the latest IPCC findings and the urgent need to stop investment in coal, oil and gas, the financial activities of public finance institutions (PFIs) play an important role to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. This paper analyses the alignment of German and Korean PFIs’ climate and sector strategies with the Paris Agreement and makes recommendations on how their strategies can align with a 1.5°C goal.

Report | 11.05.2022

An effective EU supply chain law? Germanwatch and more than 200 other organisations clarify what this means in practice

On 23 February 2022, the EU Commission published its long-awaited proposal for an EU supply chain law. The European Parliament and the EU Council – including a number of German government representatives – are now discussing the draft law. Together with more than 220 civil society organisations from Europe and the rest of the world, Germanwatch clarified which changes the Commission's proposal needs from the perspective of civil society.

Front Page Climate Law Briefing

EU climate policy and carbon pricing Briefing Paper | 4. May 2022

Climate Laws in Europe

This report gives an overview of the climate law situation in each of the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Some of the participant countries have a climate law, for some it is in the pipeline and for others it is a bottom up push from civil society.

Pressemitteilung

UN climate conferences Press Release | 28.04.2022

European Union: Rules for Batteries Should Cover Bauxite, Copper, Iron

The European Union’s proposed batteries regulation should require importers and manufacturers to source the bauxite, copper, and iron used in batteries responsibly, a coalition of 16 organizations said today. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Earthworks, Finnwatch, Germanwatch, Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International, INKOTA, PowerShift, RAID, SOMO, and Transport & Environment, as well as human rights and environmental activists from producer countries.

Title page open letter

Report | 27.04.2022

Open letter to the legislators in the EU: The universal right to freely choose operating systems, software and services

The European Union is in the process of redefining the ecodesign criteria for products in several legislative proposals. Together with 37 European organisations and companies, Germanwatch publishes an open letter calling on legislators in the EU to make use of the historic chance by introducing the universal right to install any software on any device, including full access to hardware.

Foto Börsenzahlen

International climate co-operation Blog post | 05.04.2022

Risk or resilience? G7’s 2022 crises response can pave the way

With the war against Ukraine dragging on for over a month now, the vulnerabilities of the G7 and, particularly, of low- and middle-income countries have become increasingly visible. As leading industrialised countries and, historically, major contributors to the climate crisis, the G7 will need to live up to their responsibility to support countries in building resilience to climate impacts and other global crises. In this blog, we outline possibilities for the G7 to address the vulnerabilities in their own countries, and far beyond, to increase resilience against future crises while also supporting other nations.

Rainforest in Brazil

Blog post | 31.03.2022

An umbrella with holes? The proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and its potential impact on deforestation

The EU Commission has recently presented a proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. The aim of this Directive is to integrate international standards into European law and prevent negative consequences of global business activities. Can the law contribute to ending deforestation in transnational supply chains?

Saúl Luciano Lliuya en las calles de Huaraz

Report | 14.03.2022

Court taking evidence in Peru for RWE case

The RWE case is finally moving forward: in summer, the Higher Regional Court of Hamm will conduct a site visit to Huaraz. The visit had been delayed since 2019 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In Peru, judges and court-appointed experts will examine the risk of glacial lake outburst flood affecting the plaintiff Saúl Luciano Lliuya’s house.

Report | 03.03.2022

Joint Declaration from French and German NGOs on the reform of the EU Fiscal Rules

The Stability and Growth Pact is unfit to deal with the climate and biodiversity crisis and to deliver the European Green Deal. It does not take into account the risks and the impacts of climate change, and they do not promote investments in favour of the green and just transition, as they only focus on economic growth. The European fiscal and budgetary rules must be adjusted. For that, a Green Golden Rule securing green spending and incentivising Member States to invest heavily in the green transition must find a way into the fiscal and budgetary rules.

Flagge der Ukraine

Report | 02.03.2022

Solidarity with the people of Ukraine

Also for us at Germanwatch, 24 February 2022 has been a watershed. Since that day, war is raging just 800 kilometres from Berlin. Europe's peace order has been fundamentally called into question. A country is invading its neighbour. As we write this, the Russian army is marching towards the Ukrainian coal towns in the Donbass, towns which we at Germanwatch have been working intensively with ever since 2017.

Thumbnail Stellungnahme

Report | 21.02.2022

Putting sustainable food and livestock on the agenda of the UN Environment Assembly

From 28 February to 2 March, the United Nations Environment Programme will host the next Environment Assembly. In a joint statement today, more than 150 organisations from all continents, including Germanwatch, call for sustainable food systems to be a core issue of the Assembly, with a particular focus on animal husbandry.

Titelseite Publikation

International climate co-operation Sustainable Finance Policy Brief | 21. February 2022

G7 in 2022: Five areas for advancing climate finance

The leading industrialised countries have a particular responsibility to address the climate crisis – but they failed to meet their former commitments. The German G7 presidency now offers the opportunity to take important steps towards a new paradigm for climate finance. Against that backdrop, this policy brief formulates five key asks to the G7 governments.

Podcast "Planet A." with Lutz Weischer

Report | 17.02.2022

"How to become a global climate champion"

Lutz Weischer - Head of Policy Berlin Germanwatch - talks with the Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jørgensen about climate champions, international policy and the Climate Change Performance Index. Planet A is a podcast on climate change.   More information: CCPI - Climate Change Performance Index Podcast: Planet A - Talks on climate change  

Cover Publication

| 17. February 2022

Assessing policy approaches to halt deforestation in EU agricultural supply chains

In this publication, we have analysed, compared and evaluated five different approaches to halt deforestation in EU supply chains. To identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of each approach, we have conducted expert interviews as well as an extensive literature review.

Cover Leitfaden Nachhaltige Infrastruktur Investition

International climate co-operation Report | 14. February 2022

Guidance Notes for Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Investment

As the decade of implementation gets underway, public development banks need to follow up on their goals and statements of intent with action. The world's fastest growing development bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), plays a critical role in infrastructure investment in Asia, where the bulk of future urban development will take place. The challenges of the mega-trends of urbanization and climate change must be met with consideration for particularly vulnerable populations. To this end, this report provides a method of analysis based on seven principles to strengthen urban transformation in a sustainable and inclusive way.

Key Priorities for Cooperation between Africa and Europe

Report | 14.02.2022

Joint CSO Statement for EU-Africa Summit towards a Green and Equitable EU-Africa Partnership

On the sixth African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Summit on February 17-18, 2022, African and European Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have written a statement for a transformative and equal partnership between Africa and the EU with civil society involvement.