In their joint open letter, Germanwatch, Bread for the World, Friends of the Earth Germany, Misereor, DNR, WWF, the Climate Alliance, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Environmental Action Germany appeal to the German government and call for stronger commitment to creating an international hydrogen market that is compatible with sustainable development and supports the just energy transition in partner countries.

In May 2022, the G7 environment, climate, and energy ministers announced the launch of the G7 Hydrogen Action Pact (G7-HAP), which prioritises six areas for the G7 to support the development of a global low-carbon and green hydrogen market. Germany should use its remaining G7 presidency to specify these areas. Most importantly, the G7 should clearly focus their activities on green hydrogen and work on establishing sustainability standards right at the beginning of the market ramp-up.

The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), announced last year with South Africa, aims to reduce emissions in the energy sector and accelerate the coal phase-out process. The partnership, first announced in COP26 with the promised value of 8.5$ billion, was then followed by a G7 announcement for a similar partnership in India, Indonesia, Senegal, and Vietnam. As an important thread in the social fabric of many countries, it is crucial for CSOs to be involved in providing input and monitoring the partnership process, especially as Indonesia and India are preparing their own JETP.

The German government planned on making climate and sustainability the main topics of its G7 presidency. In this briefing, we outline what the G7 Leaders’ Summit was able to achieve, which gaps remained, and where to go from there.

The climate crisis’ impacts are rapidly growing along with the concurrent need for adaptation investments. Those most vulnerable to climate change’s impacts, however, lack the resources to adequately respond to adaptation needs. The study aims to close a research gap by examining international climate finance’s capacity in mobilising adaptation finance from the private sector in developing countries.

When the G7 leaders met at the end of June 2022 in Elmau, they called on Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to further strengthen ambitious climate action. This policy brief explains what the G7 asked the MDBs to do, why this is important, and what it means in terms of concrete steps that should be taken in the short and medium term (including until COP27) to halt the climate crisis and successfully support the global transformation towards green and resilient economies. In this critical decade of implementation, quick outcomes are more important than ever before and MDBs are called upon to increase their efforts. Especially the World Bank will be assessed in terms of its ability to step up its climate ambitions and to lead the MDBs’ engagement in those areas.

Germanwatch is looking for a consultant to conduct a background research on the topic of tipping points in the climate system. The purpose of this research is to gain a broader overview and deeper knowledge on the status quo of scientific findings on particular tipping points and their expected impacts as well as necessary political reactions to this challenge.

The expansion of agricultural land for the production of animal feed or palm oil is the biggest driver of loss and degradation of forests and other natural ecosystems worldwide. The EU’s demand for these so-called forest and ecosystem risk commodities plays a significant part in global deforestation linked to international trade.

Outstanding scientific research is exploring tipping points’ development and dynamics. Lacking, however, is a systematic approach that translates scientific research into concrete recommendations. Also lacking are targeted calls for action for political decision-makers in affected countries and regions, as well as the international community. An early warning system in the form of a regular report could fill this gap.