With the UN climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa, still under way, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel announced that Germany would further increase its support for southern Africa in the field of climate change mitigation by further 120 million Euro:

Enlarge image (© www.colourbox.com) "People in developing and emerging economies are particularly hard hit by the impact of climate change. At the same time, we will only be able to limit climate change effectively if developing countries, and especially emerging economies with rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions, commit themselves to effective reduction efforts. So we need a comprehensive, ambitious, binding climate agreement. However, we are running out of time. So we need to take action while the negotiations are still under way. The additional funding will be used for two strategic projects: solar power generation in South Africa and regional networks for climate-friendly power generation in southern Africa. South Africa in particular has a great and largely untapped potential for generating solar energy. Its solar radiation levels are among the best in the world."

At present, South Africa is the biggest emitter of CO2 in Africa. However, it wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent by 2025, and it is seeking international support for that endeavour. Germany has been supporting South Africa in moving from coal-based power generation to environmentally sound forms of energy.

"Africa's huge potential for renewable energy – solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower – is key to energy security, economic growth, and regional integration. For rural people in particular, access to renewable and sustainable energy can become an important part of the answer to poverty and lack of opportunities," Niebel said

The BMZ is providing a 75 million Euro loan for the construction of a concentrated solar power tower. At a capacity of 100 megawatts, it will be one of the largest commercially operated plants worldwide. It will save 435,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year and provide enough power for a city with a population of about 100,000. In addition, a 45 million Euro loan will be used for investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the member states of the Southern African Power Pool. In this way, Germany is linking support for the expansion of environmentally sound power generation in southern Africa with support for regional integration through power pools.

In 2010, the German government made available 1.25 billion Euro to assist developing countries and emerging economies in the climate sector. In 2011, that support will be increased to 1.8 billion Euro.