(MENAFN- Gulf Times) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande jointly pledged yesterday to do their utmost to ensure an "ambitious" UN deal to combat climate change is reached this year.
In a joint statement at informal international talks in Berlin, the European Union's two biggest economies also urged other countries to do their part in helping achieve a global push to cut emissions.
France and Germany have "firmly decided to take all efforts to reach an ambitious, comprehensive and binding UN climate agreement by the end of this year", Merkel and Hollande said.
"As the common vision we seek to pursue with all partners in the UN, we will strive to decarbonise fully the global economy over the course of this century," they said in a joint statement.
The talks took place under the "Petersberg Climate Dialogue" initiative, launched by Merkel in 2010, to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December.
Hollande has set out an ambitious goal for the Paris meeting € an agreement to limit the rise in global temperatures linked to greenhouse gas emissions to two degrees Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) from the pre-industrial age.
Several dozen ecologist protesters shouted "stop coal, protect the climate" as Merkel and Hollande arrived at the meeting in central Berlin, attended by representatives of 35 countries which began on Monday.
As well as confirming the two-degree goal, Merkel said the new global climate pact must set "fair and binding rules for both industrial and developing countries", foster green investment globally and support the poorest countries, including in adapting to the impact of climate change.
"We can all more easily face the challenge posed by climate change if we can have confidence that our international partners pursue the same goal," Merkel said, addressing delegates.
Germany will strive to double its contribution towards international climate financing by 2020 from its 2014 level, she announced.
Merkel said that industrial countries had a "duty" to now help others through innovation by demonstrating the more efficient technologies.
Hollande, for his part, stressed that time was pressing and that just 37 countries had so far outlined their plans towards helping achieve the target eyed at the Paris meeting which kicks off on November 30.
"Let's mobilise, act, it's urgent. It's in our interest because ... global warming is not only a threat but also considerable opportunity to invent another model of development," he said.
"The countdown is running. There are only 200 days to go. That's very little time," the French president said. "The best treaty is the one you reach in advance of the meeting. Let's do this, so that we will only need to do some editing work on the text at the summit."
Germany, which has pledged to phase out nuclear power and fossil fuels and boost renewables under its energy transition programme, has made climate protection a key issue of its G7 presidency this year.
Merkel's participation was overshadowed by accusations from environmentalists that Germany has been backsliding.
Merkel's government is on the point of modifying a plan to close down power stations burning lignite, one of the least efficient fossil fuels.
The reductions, enforced by carbon trading rights, are part of Germany's promise to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2020.
The government initially tasked the lignite sector with reducing overall CO2 emissions during that time span by 22mn tonnes, but sources say the target is being trimmed to 16mn tonnes after protests from lignite miners, electricity generators and unions.
Tobias Muenchmeyer of the environmentalist group Greenpeace said: "The watered-down proposals on carbon certificates imperil our national climate targets."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.