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To become climate neutral by 2050 at the latest, the European Union needs to reduce transport emissions by 90%. Rail as one of the cleanest modes of transport can play a key role here. On 21 September 2020, Germany as the EU Council Presidency is convening a Ministerial conference on rail transport. NGOs from Germany, Poland, France, Spain and Brussels are calling on EU transport ministers to initiatie a European Rail Renaissance. This would be a win for economic recovery, European cohesion and the climate. The declaration asks for concrete measures to make rail cross-border rail transport in Europe more attractive.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was created to serve as one of the primary funding institutions of the international climate finance architecture under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. Its overall goal is to promote the “paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways’’ by providing support to developing countries, specifically those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt of global warming effects. With a portfolio of over hundred projects and programmes across developing countries, the GCF is expected to reduce more than 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases and to improve the life of over 276 million (direct and indirect) beneficiaries across 97 countries.

African Risk Capacity (ARC) is a specialised agency that follows the vision of: “protect the livelihoods of vulnerable people in Africa against the impact of natural disasters through home-grown, innovative, cost-effective, timely and sustainable solutions.” As a regional, African-owned, and African Union (AU)-led insurance pool, ARC is an essential component of a more comprehensive approach to anticipatory climate risk management. It covers the issues of financial risk management through risk pooling and transfer. Contingency planning is a central part of ARC insurance, and a precondition to purchasing a policy. The specific advantage of an ex-ante mechanism such as this is its fast availability of support; thus, ithelp avert suffering.

In a recent video feature, British television station Channel 4 News poses the question "Who should pay to fix the climate emergency?". Journalist Simon Roach vividly explains why this is a question of fairness and justice, bringing together the various dimensions that form part of the answer: Starting at the industrial revolution, he looks at individual countries’ contributions to climate change, explains the sometimes confusing world of climate diplomacy, describes climate impacts and the resulting need for climate finance.

Lüke Recktenwald is a real "islander". His family has been living on the North Sea island of Langeoog for four generations and runs a hotel and restaurant. Whether Lüke will be able to live and work on the island in the future like his parents is uncertain, as Langeoog is increasingly threatened by the climate crisis. In this interview he tells how he experiences the climate and health crisis on the island and why he decided to go to court to demand climate protection.

The EU energy system is still far from being climate neutral or based on 100 % renewable energies. The currently discussed revision of the guidelines for the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E), which provide the basis for the selection of the so-called Projects of Common Interests (PCIs), has the potential to set a new course.

Long-term stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans is closely interlinked with the fate of the EU. A positive development in the region and the maintenance of good relations are in the EU’s strategic interest. Geopolitical interests continue to compete in the Western Balkans: China is increasingly rivalling ideas of international solidarity and co-operation offered by the EU. This has become most apparent during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed. The new momentum of recently extended financial support should be the starting point for a more serious cooperation with the Western Balkans on the energy transition. The German EU Presidency in the second half of this year should focus on making energy transition partnerships a reality. This is an opportunity that the EU should not miss.

Germanwatch is a development and environment organization that actively engages in international political and economic discussions. The situation of marginalized people forms the starting point for our engagement for sustainable development.

This report provides civil society perspectives on three initiatives of particular importance in relation to renewable energy in Africa – the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), the Least Developed Countries Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative for Sustainable Development (LDC REEEI), and the African Energy Transition Programme (AFRETRAP).

The conflict between the US and China over leadership in the coming world order is becoming more intense - and forcing the EU to clarify its own relationship with China. Co-operation on climate policy can play a key strategic role in this process. It is therefore high on the agenda of the German EU Council Presidency in the second half of this year.