Germany considers the initial draft of the COP26 declaration to be a solid starting point for discussions, but it has to be refined.

German draft for final COP26 declaration |EUROPEANS24

Germany intends to hold the worst climate violators to a higher standard than originally anticipated in the final declaration of the World Climate Conference COP26. "We think it has to be a bit clearer who has to act here," Environment Secretary Jochen Flasbarth said ahead of a preliminary draft of the final agreement being presented in Glasgow on Wednesday. "It needs to come from the major emitters," he stated emphatically, without identifying China. "We shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking that small island governments, for example, would be able to catch up with climate protection this decade."

On Wednesday morning, the British Presidency released a draft advocating for changes, particularly in the current decade's efforts. "By 2030, the nations should revisit their objectives and tighten them so that by the end of 2022, they are in line with the global warming target agreed upon in the world climate treaty," according to the report. The EU, for example, had already increased and refined its aims greatly before Glasgow, so this is maintained too broad in Germany.

Flasbarth, on the other hand, applauded the fact that a draft had already been presented. This would provide the ministers with a firm foundation on which to negotiate until the weekend. "There have been encouraging advances in the previous 24 hours," he remarked. However, this does not imply that you have already accomplished your objective. "It's commendable that the language continuously exudes the spirit of increased climate protection action."

Previous international promises are insufficient to keep global warming far below two degrees Celsius, if feasible to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as set forth in the Paris climate pact. This temperature increase is believed to be tolerable when compared to pre-industrial periods. Even if all of the states' commitments are kept, the projection still predicts a temperature increase of at least 2.4 degrees.


States seal the end of combustion engines by 2040 - Germany is not included

At the climate summit, a coalition of roughly 30 nations, cities, and companies pledged to transition to emission-free vehicles by 2040 at the earliest. However, Germany is not included. According to the Federal Environment Ministry, the government is divided on whether so-called e-fuels in internal combustion engines can be part of the answer.

Along with the United Kingdom, the signatories include EU countries including Denmark, Poland, Austria, and Croatia, as well as a number of other industrialized nations like Israel and Canada. Turkey, Paraguay, Kenya, and Rwanda are among the rising and developing nations that have joined the effort. "We will work together to guarantee that all new vehicle and minibus sales are typically emission-free by 2040, and no later than 2035 in key markets," the UK's COP26 president stated in a statement released on Wednesday.

California, as well as places such as Barcelona, Florence, and New York, are participating. Mercedes-Benz was the first German automaker to join the initiative. Ford, Volvo, and Jaguar Land Rover are among the manufacturers present. A large number of corporations who engage in the car sector or have their own fleets, such as Eon, Ikea, and Unilever, are also taking part.

The proclamation was not signed by the United States, China, France, or the Federal Republic of Germany, which are the main sales markets for automobile manufacturers. "Germany will not sign the 'Zero Emission Cars' statement today," a spokeswoman for the German Environment Ministry announced in Berlin. This is "the outcome of an internal government audit."

By 2035, the federal government has agreed that only zero-emission automobiles shall be authorized. "However, there is still no consensus on a minor issue of the statement, namely whether or not e-fuels derived from renewable energy may be used in internal combustion engines," the official noted. Svenja Schulze (SPD), Minister of the Environment, believes that e-fuels in automobiles are ineffective "in terms of availability and efficiency, exactly as the signatory states."

Germany's inability to sign on Wednesday in Glasgow, according to Environment Secretary Flasbarth, was due to a footnote in the statement stating that only zero-emission cars are included. This, however, ruled out the possibility of achieving the target using synthetic fuels derived from renewable energy sources.

According to Flasbarth, the present controlling government opposes this, and the next administration will have "additional debate" on the subject. He lamented that the British Presidency had "added a needless impediment" by initiating the statement. "We told the British about it," Flasbarth stated.

The "FOSSILE combustion engine" will have to be phased out by 2035, according to Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU). It is, nevertheless, vital to stay "technologically open." In internal combustion engines, the Glasgow Declaration prohibits the use of e-fuels derived from renewable sources.

Toyota, the Japanese carmaker, defended its choice not to join the proclamation. According to Toyota manager Kohei Yoshida, it is critical to keep an eye on "all nations and areas" as well as the various situations. In this regard, he mentioned, among other things, economies in Africa and Latin America that are still emerging and where battery-electric infrastructure development takes time. At the same time, Yoshida told the AFP news agency that there are "various methods" to attain CO2 neutrality.

Greenpeace, an environmental protection organization, criticized the announcement on the burn-out. "By 2030, no more automobiles with internal combustion engines will be permitted anywhere on the planet," says the report, in order to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees.


Germany not on the list for climate protection in aviation

Germany has also refused to join an alliance aimed at improving climate protection in the aviation sector. Germany, like the Pact to End the Internal Combustion Engine, has yet to appear on the list of 14 countries that have pledged to lowering climate-damaging emissions and reaching the net zero aim by 2050, as reported by the British host. Initially, the causes behind this were unknown.

According to the alliance, the number of air passengers is predicted to rise dramatically over the next 30 years. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Turkey are among the signatories. The coalition also intends to concentrate on more environmentally friendly fuels.

Greenpeace was quick to respond with harsh condemnation. "This statement is full of deception, such as compensation payments and unrealistic expectations for so-called sustainable fuels and future aircraft designs," said Klara Maria Schenk, the organization's transportation spokesman. Flights would have to be curtailed and climate-friendly forms of transportation would have to be reinforced in order to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial times.

Other climate activists had already thrown the air transport partnership into disarray with a phony website and news release. According to the report, a number of governments have agreed to decrease aviation emissions in half by 2030.

The organisation sent a message to a number of journalists under the name International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition, which is extremely similar to the alliance's genuine name. On Wednesday, one of the forgers, Ben Meades, told the German press agency, "We want to call attention to what would be actually necessary to reach the 1.5 degree aim."

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