Climate Change

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.

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.

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.

In its coalition agreement, the German government has set itself the goal of expanding offshore wind energy to 70 GW by 2045. This target is polarising. On the one hand, offshore wind energy has a high number of full load hours and can thus make a reliable contribution to decarbonisation. On the other hand, the expansion of 70 GW of offshore wind energy is very likely to increase the need for grid expansion, raise issues of marine protection and bring challenges such as the timely availability of resources.

The climate lawsuit of the Peruvian Andean farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya against the energy company RWE has entered the decisive phase six and a half years after the lawsuit was filed: After a long delay, especially due to the Corona pandemic, a site visit took place this week in the Andean city of Huaraz. Judges of the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Hamm (Germany), legal advisors and experts travelled to Peru to examine whether the plaintiff's house is threatened by a possible flood wave from the glacier lake Palcacocha above the city. The entire danger zone in Huaraz actually covers an area where around 50,000 people live.

At the forthcoming G7 Ministerials this week and next, Germany should push for stronger joint efforts to exit international fossil fuel financing. Considering the latest IPCC findings and the urgent need to stop investment in coal, oil and gas, the financial activities of public finance institutions (PFIs) play an important role to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. This paper analyses the alignment of German and Korean PFIs’ climate and sector strategies with the Paris Agreement and makes recommendations on how their strategies can align with a 1.5°C goal.