Petersberg Climate Dialogue must step up climate action in critical year

Governments must build back better low carbon economies post the pandemic to avoid fuelling the climate crisis, warned Oxfam today ahead of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on 6-7 May. The virtual meeting will bring together government ministers from across the globe to discuss international climate action ahead of this year’s critical UN summit COP26 in autumn.

Jan Kowalzig, Senior Climate Policy Advisor at Oxfam said: “We are calling on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ministers of rich nations to ramp up efforts to slash global emissions and to increase support to developing countries bearing the brunt of the escalating climate crisis. Merkel must show Germany’s responsibility towards vulnerable countries and commit to doubling Germany’s annual climate finance contribution by 2025.”

“Rich polluting countries have failed to keep their promise of providing $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor countries cut emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Poor countries now have to cope with the harrowing impacts of the climate crisis on top of COVID-19. Bangladesh alone is already spending $5 billion a year to adapt to climate disasters which have battered vulnerable people’s lives and livelihoods. Developing countries may need in total up to $300 billion a year by 2030.”

“Despite the escalating climate crisis, global efforts to cut emissions remain alarmingly low. The combined effect of emission cuts offered to date by countries keeps the world on a disastrous trajectory of global warming. Most rich polluting countries refuse to contribute their fair share to the required effort of halving global emissions by 2030. This alarming inaction is threatening the very survival of vulnerable people around the world such as those hit hardest by deadly cyclones in Asia and Central America, and devastating locust swarms across Africa.”

“It is deeply disappointing that compensating low-income countries for the economic loss they have endured as a result of the climate crisis, has been kept off this year’s agenda.  Developing countries –many had little or no responsibility in causing this climate crisis - could face economic damages worth up to $1.8 trillion every year by 2050. Ministers of rich countries should at least show commitment to developing future global mechanisms to assist vulnerable countries in covering these costs.”