Petersberg Climate Dialogue participants commit to green recovery

The 11th Petersberg Climate Dialogue concluded with a commitment to a green recovery built on solidarity. At the invitation of Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze and UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma, around 30 climate ministers from all over the globe participated in the Climate Dialogue via video conference. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary-General António Guterres also took part in the meeting.

The Petersberg Climate Dialogue participants were united in the view that even in these times dominated by the coronavirus, climate action remains an acute and global challenge. Participants were committed to shape the economic recovery in the coming months in a way which also ensures the necessary progress on climate action. In addition, ministers made clear that work on ambitious updated NDCs under the Paris Agreement will not be put on hold because of the coronavirus, but will continue.

German Federal Environment Minister Schulze stated: “We need a green recovery in order to build a more resilient future. Our guiding principle is not to go back to the old world, but to work towards a better world with more resilient and climate-friendly economies. The Petersberg Climate Dialogue has shown that many countries are already preparing stimulus programmes for their economies and that they are taking climate action and ecosystem protection into consideration in this process.

“In the coming months, all over the world large sums of money will be invested into the recovery of the global economy. These investments could also help drive climate action forward significantly. Investments in renewable energy, green mobility and climate-friendly industrial processes are at the same time supporting climate action, innovation and jobs. An ambitious climate action plan, like the Green Deal presented by the EU, is therefore also the right strategy for exiting the current economic crisis.”

The designated President of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), UK Secretary of State for Business and Energy, Alok Sharma stated:“Today at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue we have recognised the scale of the challenge in front of us. It is clear that as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the decisions we make will either lay the foundation for sound, sustainable, inclusive growth or they will lock-in polluting emissions for decades more. As incoming COP26 President my team and I will work night and day to raise ambition on climate change. We owe that to ourselves and to future generations.”

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