Germany will not be able to fight climate change successfully on its own. BDI President Russwurm therefore encourages more international cooperation. Would a climate club be the solution?
German industry advocates stronger international cooperation to combat climate change.
This is the only way to achieve a substantial effect; German emissions alone would not have a major impact on the global climate, said the President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Siegfried Russwurm, of the German Press Agency. “In the fight against global warming, Germany and Europe must manage to agree on climate protection as globally as possible,” he demanded.
On the initiative of Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD), the federal government wants to set up an international climate club. An alliance of states should lead the way in climate protection. The aim is to accelerate the implementation of the Paris climate protection agreement and at the same time to protect those countries from economic disadvantages that oblige their companies to comply with climate protection requirements. Germany wants to discuss the plan first with France and then with the EU Commission.
The members of the climate club should commit themselves to the 1.5 degree target of the Paris climate protection agreement and strive for climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest. The 1.5 degree target is intended to limit the global temperature increase due to the greenhouse effect to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the beginning of industrialization. Processes that do not ultimately pollute the atmosphere with additional greenhouse gases are considered to be climate-neutral.
On the way to these goals, the club members should set ambitious intermediate goals. According to the cabinet decision, participation is in principle open to all countries.
Russwurm emphasized that national ambition alone costs prosperity – “and that discourages others from emulating our example”. Among other things, one must try to win the G20 – and thus also China – over to climate protection. “This is a difficult discussion, but still the right discussion,” he emphasized. Foreign trade policy is an important field for climate protection. “There is still room for improvement, the EU has to become more active.”
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
