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Baerbock with Secretary of State Jennifer Morgan in Sharm el Sheikh
Photo: IMAGO/Thomas Trutschel / IMAGO/photothek
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has asked China for more money to help poorer countries deal with climate damage.
"It's true that we in Europe and North America, as industrialized countries, are responsible for the climate damage of the recent past and most of the present with our fossil-based prosperity," said Baerbock at the World Climate Conference in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt.
“But all of today's major emitters bear responsibility for future climate damage.
All states can now show that they are ready for more ambition and more solidarity.«
In an interview with RTL and n-tv, Baerbock had previously made it clear which country she was targeting in particular.
"China will then have to pay for future damage if they are not willing to radically reduce their own emissions in the future," she said.
In terms of volume, the People's Republic now emits the most greenhouse gases in the world.
Developing countries put the pressure on
The group of the G77 – an association of meanwhile more than 130 developing countries – demands together with China the establishment of a financial pot, in which the industrialized countries should pay for the damage caused by droughts, floods or storms, which are increasing due to global warming.
There is criticism of China's position on this controversial issue, since the People's Republic, despite its massive greenhouse gas emissions and economic power, does not see itself as a donor with responsibility.
A draft for a new China strategy by the Foreign Ministry, which was reported by SPIEGEL, already states that the federal government wants to "focus on China's importance as the world's largest emitter and second-largest economy".
The Paris climate goals could not be met “without further Chinese ambitions”.
It is therefore "no longer up to date" for China to define its responsibility in international climate policy differently than Western industrialized countries.
In her speech at the world climate conference, Baerbock also called for action to finally be taken to implement the climate goals agreed at previous conferences.
Since the Paris climate agreement of 2015, European countries have also talked about medium-term goals for far too long, in 20, 25 or 30 years.
»But we all know that CO₂ accumulates in the air.
You can't get that out of there in 15, 20, 30 years.«
Baerbock said the climate conference should launch a "long-term and ambitious work program with very specific reduction steps that will then lead us as a world on the 1.5-degree path".
Global warming of 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times is considered just tolerable.
However, leading experts now consider it unlikely that the mark can still be reached.
slue/dpa
