Environmental policy as a global and national challenge

The political process aimed at tackling the problems caused by human-induced climate change was launched at the international level in the late eighties. This resulted in the conclusion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which entered into force in 1994. Since then regular Conferences of the Parties to the Convention have taken place, including one held in 1997 in Kyoto, at which the so-called Kyoto Protocol was adopted.  Under the protocol, industrialized countries undertook to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over the years up to 2012.

At the thirteenth Conference of the Parties held in Bali in December 2007, the main issue at stake was the new post-2012 regime. In December 2009, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, participating nations will attempt a Kyoto Protocol successor agreement.  It is expected to aim for more extensive reduction undertakings that would apply not only to all industrialized countries but also to emerging economies with dynamic economic growth and constantly rising greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to keep global warming if possible below 2° C so the world remains habitable for future generations.
These two degrees took centre stage at this year's G8 summit in L'Aguila, Italy. On the first day of the summit, the heads of state and government of the G8 countries agreed on this target and by the close of the conference, the other attending nations had signed on as well. Thus, for the first time in history, the world's 14 most important economies had reached agreement on a common climate protection target: to restrict global warming to two degrees Celsius by the year 2050 Enlarge image Offshore wind park (© picture-alliance / dpa)

Just how these nations will do that is yet to be decided. Before the Copenhagen Conference begins, industrialised countries will have to agree on medium-term emissions reduction targets. The newly industrialising countries too will need to set long-term targets to halve their greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels.

Germany takes lead in international arena

Within the European Union, Germany is working hard to make Europe the most energy- and resource-efficient location in the world. In a historic decision designed to lead by example prior to the opening of the Bali climate negotiations, the European Council (presided over by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel) approved in March 2007 an entire package of measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union is the only region in the world to have committed itself to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 by at least 20% over 1990 levels or even 30%, given appropriate international solidarity.

Germany played a key role in the founding of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and will house its the centre of technology and innovation in Bonn. From the early Preparatory Conference in April 2008 through to the Founding conference in January 2009, Germany was instrumental in organizing and mobilizing the many countries which supported the initiative. The goal of this initiative, launched by Germany, Spain and Denmark and supported by many countries from all continents, is to promote the expansion of renewable energies worldwide and to serve as a platform providing practical advice and support to both industrialised and developing countries.
Germany is also a founder of the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), whose goal is to link up regional emissions trading schemes worldwide and in due course create a global carbon market.
Bonn in particular has become an important UN location in the environmental field. It hosts the secretariats of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the UN Water Decade Office and a number of other UN bodies in the environmental field.

Bonn also hosted the ninth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, at which some 6000 delegates from 191 countries discussed how flora, fauna and habitats could be better protected. The result was a collection of measures concerned particularly with combating biopiracy, protecting the marine environment, funding nature conservation activities and biofuels. Notably Germany's Life Web initiative met with broad support. The idea behind it is to bring countries keen to designate protected areas together with countries able to provide the necessary finance.

Starting from a baseline of 210 million Euro in 2008, Germany plans to increase its funding for international nature conservation initially by 500 million Euro over the period 2009 to 2012 and thereafter by a further 290 million Euro per year, bringing annual funding to a total of 500 million Euro. Norway, Spain and Finland have announced that they, too, are willing to help fund protected areas. On the basis of these pledges, over thirty countries and regions offered to designate additional protected areas in the order of 65 million hectares. The next UN Biodiversity Conference will be held in 2010 in Aichi/Nagoya, Japan.

Germany participated, too, in EXPO Zaragoza 2008, which was held from 14 June to 14 September under the motto "Water and Sustainable Development". A special feature of the German pavilion were innovative technologies designed to protect the environment and water resources Enlarge image (© picture-alliance/dpa)

Germany is also keen to put a stop to illegal logging in tropical rainforests. Various measures have been proposed to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in developing countries and prevent illegal logging. Regarding deforestation, hopes are that headway can be made by enlisting the support of e.g. the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, an idea first mooted at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm. Germany proposed developing and utilizing an international forest monitoring network with the help of GEOSS satellites or the FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessments as a possible means to combat illegal logging.

At the bilateral level Germany also supports sustainable forest management in the context of its development cooperation activities. During its G8 Presidency, Germany developed new ideas on tracking timber origins and networked internationally to advance relevant proposals. Within the G8 framework, Germany will continue to campaign actively for their implementation.

With the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a new environmental protection pilot project was initiated in 2008. This is a German-Mexican master's programme on "Environment and Resource Management". The four-semester course run jointly by the Fachhochschule Köln and the San Luis Potosi University will introduce young specialists from Latin America to the latest developments in the field of environmental protection, resource management and sustainable energy systems.

Climate protection starts at home

Every country is itself primarily responsible for taking effective and long-term action to protect the climate and in particular to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In December 2007, the German Government accordingly adopted the world's most comprehensive energy and climate action package ever and defined parameters for an integrated German energy and climate programme. By 2020, plans are to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40% from a 1990 baseline. These climate protection targets offer German companies the security they need to plan for the future and make long-term investment decisions.

In support of an energy efficiency export initiative, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has established a new in-house secretariat to help selected German companies increase their exports of especially energy-efficient products and services.

According to figures from the German Environment Ministry, environmental technologies are now an important factor in generating employment. The renewable energies sector with a turnover of 16.4 billion Euro (2005) has created 170,000 new jobs in Germany and the waste management sector, with a turnover of some 50 billion Euro, now employs approximately 250,000 people.