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The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) makes legal history with its landmark rulings on three climate litigation cases. The court made clear that climate change poses a major threat to human rights as protected by the Human Rights Convention. Every state is responsible for safeguarding the lives of its citizens from the climate crisis. A precedent that has an impact on all EU member states, including Germany. An analysis by Roda Verheyen and Gerd Winter.
Deforestation was one of the crucial issues at COP28 in Dubai. The negotiation outcome underscored its importance for the first time with a goal of ending global deforestation by 2030. Notwithstanding, deforestation continues. What exactly was decided at COP28? And where is more action needed?
We are excited to present the English translation of the Handprint concept ‘Changing structures towards sustainability’. The Handprint is the base of our educational activities at Germanwatch and focuses on the transformative power of political engagement. It helps us gradually transform our society so that everyone can act with sustainability.
On 6 February, the European Commission will propose climate targets for 2040. The current Commission can thereby frame the climate policy of the upcoming years ahead of the EU elections in June. The 2040 targets will be a guiding light for the new Commission and shape the EU's worldwide perception. In this policy brief, Germanwatch is therefore calling for 'An Ambitious EU Climate Target for 2040'.
Scorching heat, heavy rainfalls, raging wildfires, deadly floods, and devastating storms – the manifestations of extreme weather events have become a common phenomenon around the globe. In this blog post we give an overview of the extreme weather events occurring in 2023 and show why it is imperative that nations, communities, and individuals take concerted action to mitigate the root causes of climate change, adapt to its impacts, and work towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
As countries transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies, finance flows will need to shift to support these transitions, in line with the third long-term goal of the Paris Agreement, Article 2.1c. South Africa was the first country to sign a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). In this context, South Africa developed a Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP) laying out a series of policies and regulations the country would implement to achieve its just energy transition. This paper offers an analysis of these policies and regulations, using existing Article 2.1c approaches.
The UN climate summit in Dubai concluded on 13 December after a 24-hour extension. While this year’s COP28 sends a strong signal overall, this should not distract from the weaknesses contained in the final decision, which could jeopardise implementation. The experts at Germanwatch have conducted an initial assessment of the negotiations, including the most important decisions and events. Their findings are presented here.
Today, Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and CAN International published the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2024. It monitors the climate mitigation progress of 63 countries and the European Union, together responsible for more than 90% of global emissions. In recent years, governments around the world have increasingly placed climate action on their agenda, and renewable energy is booming in many countries. However, this still is not enough. The race against time continues: global emissions must nearly halve by 2030, and reducing the use of fossil fuels should account for most of that.
Published annually since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is an independent monitoring tool for tracking the climate protection performance of 63 countries and the EU. It aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
We take a look at the geopolitical situation providing the frame for the UN climate talks COP28 in Dubai and identify the most important topics for the negotiations. We also outline what we expect COP28 to deliver, in terms of decisions that mitigate climate change, build resilience and provide finance for the people who need it.