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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will now negotiate on behalf of Germany at the climate conference. Assuming extension, there are still too many questions open.


Climate conferences have their own dramaturgies: They often start with a depression, run on the brink of an abyss for a few days, and then end with disappointment like Copenhagen 2009 or surprise success like Paris 2015.

It is not yet clear where the conference will go in Sharm el-Sheikh and whether it will actually end on Friday as planned. “Today is Wednesday and the Wednesday of the second week is not always easy. And I certainly didn’t pack my suitcase for Friday afternoon,” said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), who arrived in Egypt this afternoon.


  • Baerbock is de facto holding hands with Development Assistance Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (The Greens). It was the environment ministers who negotiated for Germany at the climate conferences. The traffic light was rearranged and the issue was shared between different departments. It is not yet clear whether this strengthens Germany’s negotiating position. Annalena Baerbock will speak and negotiate on behalf of Germany from Wednesday.

    A ray of hope from the G20

    As the German delegates in Sharm el-Sheikh can tell, from the G20 summit to COP27, there is a gentle breeze of hope blowing through Bali. After all, the G20 has committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. “This is a highly defensive conclusion because it only confirms previous decisions,” says Christoph Bals, political director of the environment and development organization Germanwatch, which has been observing UN climate conferences onsite for decades.

    But given the changing global political situation, this is an important sign.

    Christoph Bals, political director of Germanwatch

    But so far the 1.5 degree limit is still rhetorical. Missing are figures, data, and commitments on who will save how much and when.

    One of the negotiators criticized, “The draft texts that have been circulating so far seem to be keywords for shopping.” The Egyptian Presidency, which chairs this conference and is responsible for ensuring that the final draft of the document is ready by Thursday morning at the latest, is too late.

    Dispute over compensation payments

    Behind the words “damage and loss” still lurks an important point of contention: the claims for compensation by poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They expect industrialized countries to create a pool of money to recoup their losses if drought, flood or storms devastate their country. Increasing events due to climate change. And they expect this money pot to be well filled. Through a fund or – as it is called in negotiation German – a “facility”.

    “I don’t know if it’s coming, and I don’t even know if this is the right moment,” Foreign Minister Baerbock said hesitantly. But he also says it’s important to “tackle the problem and create new financing tools”.

    What none of the negotiators have said publicly: A definitively promised pot of money raises concerns in industrialized countries that it will flow into a bottomless pit, possibly sending money to the wrong people, not to the suffering population, but to undemocratic regimes.

    Neubauer criticizes ‘fossil theatre’ at climate conference

    Climate activists criticize the fact that the climate conference has already been turned upside down: “We’re not playing the fossil fuel theater that this COP has turned into,” says Luisa Neubauer. It specifically demands that the phasing out of oil, gas and coal be included in the final resolution of the conference, which has not happened so far. Pressure from the oil lobby is particularly evident at this COP.

    Annalena Baerbock promises:

    We are committed to ensuring that this COP sends a clear signal to bid farewell to the fossil age and reduce emissions faster.

    Annalena Baerbock, Federal Foreign Minister

    Empowerment sounds good, as Germany’s chief negotiator, this climate conference will have to be judged if it doesn’t lag behind the rest.

    At the end of the climate conference, whenever.

    Winnie Heescher works at the ZDF capital studio in Berlin and reports for the ZDF from Sharm El Sheikh.

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Source: ZDF

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