Internationale Klimapolitik

The new EU-Africa Strategy was proposed in March 2020 by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The aim is to strengthen cooperation in five key areas.

The Briefing Paper on the 12th meeting of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage from 12-16th October 2020 is mainly directed at persons interested in the discussions on Loss and Damage within the UNFCCC process.
The meeting will take place in the middle of the Covid-19-crisis that comes across with severe challenges for vulnerable groups but also in regards of keeping up climate diplomacy.

On Tuesday, 6th of October, the European Parliament will vote on the EU Climate Law and set its position on the EU 2030 climate target. In a letter to the Members of the European Parliament the plaintiffs of the People's Climate Case urge them to decide on higher emission cuts by 2030 and to support access to justice for citizens.

Climate and disaster risk financing (CDRF) measures and activities that governments or other actors carry out can affect the enjoyment of human rights. The Paris Agreement therefore recognises that, “Parties should, when taking action to address climate change, respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights […]” (Paris Agreement 2015). This paper presents a human rights-based approach to Climate and Disaster Risk Financing (HRBA-CDRF).

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was created to serve as one of the primary funding institutions of the international climate finance architecture under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. Its overall goal is to promote the “paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways’’ by providing support to developing countries, specifically those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt of global warming effects. With a portfolio of over hundred projects and programmes across developing countries, the GCF is expected to reduce more than 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases and to improve the life of over 276 million (direct and indirect) beneficiaries across 97 countries.

Long-term stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans is closely interlinked with the fate of the EU. A positive development in the region and the maintenance of good relations are in the EU’s strategic interest. Geopolitical interests continue to compete in the Western Balkans: China is increasingly rivalling ideas of international solidarity and co-operation offered by the EU. This has become most apparent during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed. The new momentum of recently extended financial support should be the starting point for a more serious cooperation with the Western Balkans on the energy transition. The German EU Presidency in the second half of this year should focus on making energy transition partnerships a reality. This is an opportunity that the EU should not miss.

This report provides civil society perspectives on three initiatives of particular importance in relation to renewable energy in Africa – the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), the Least Developed Countries Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative for Sustainable Development (LDC REEEI), and the African Energy Transition Programme (AFRETRAP).

The conflict between the US and China over leadership in the coming world order is becoming more intense - and forcing the EU to clarify its own relationship with China. Co-operation on climate policy can play a key strategic role in this process. It is therefore high on the agenda of the German EU Council Presidency in the second half of this year.

The 11th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw Inernational Mechanism took place at the beginning of the corona crisis and therefore faced severe organisational challenges. It was held virtually, which posed challenges like internet connectivity problems and lack of possibilities for inclusive participation. Topics of this meeting were for example to discuss inter alia COP25 outcomes like the establishment of the “Santiago network on loss and damage” and the "Expert Group on action and support".
The report covers the key expectations for the meeting, the outcomes, the special corona context as well as recommendations on the way forward and necessary next steps.

The poorest populations in the Global South are fighting against the yet unforeseeable consequences of the coronavirus and the impacts of climate change simultaneously. They urgently need support in building resilience to the health and climate crises and in dealing with unavoidable climate impacts.