PAREMIA - Partnerships for ambitious resilience and mitigation action

All the signatories of the Paris climate agreement are expected to define their national climate protection goals by 2020. However, all the current indications suggest that these targets are not ambitious enough. The 2-degree limit is unlikely to be achieved, and much more needs to be done. We need new, committed partnerships for climate protection.

The international community of states adopted the Paris Agreement and endorsed implementation rules for climate protection. But it will only be possible to establish credibility for serious implementation if all the countries pitch in, and if emissions are also rapidly reduced in the key states. This is all the more important today because powerful, individual players like US President Trump and Brazilian President Bolsonaro are spreading doubt and undermining the international climate protection process. At the same time, there needs to be a significant improvement in protection for the people and countries most affected by climate change through measures such as adaptation, resilience building and the implementation of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The relevant German ministries, the BMZ and BMU (the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Federal Ministry for the Environment) have identified some 10 countries with which they want to work to help implement the Paris Agreement. The countries are South Africa, India, Vietnam, Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Peru and Brazil – and with the possible addition of Morocco and Kenya (as at May 2019). However, so far no detailed analysis has been carried out for these countries’ climate targets. The signatories are required to record their activities in detail in what are known as ‏“Nationally Determined Contributions” (NDCs). And an analysis is needed for the NDCs to identify and prioritise the key fields for action – whether these be knowledge transfer, the development of capacities, technical expertise, policy consulting, or a range of other areas.

Most of these international partnerships are primarily concerned with climate protection – but it should also be remembered that there will be interactions with the required process of enhancing resilience (adaptation) to the consequences of climate change. Our new project plans to analyse on a yearly basis the implementation status of climate protection targets in the various sectors for all the states in the partnership. It will also highlight the degree to which these countries are affected by weather disasters. Detailed policy recommendations to address climate change will also be made for at least three countries each year. The project will also highlight the potential role that development banks can play because of their key function in terms of financing, paving the way for the introduction of private capital and reducing risks (de-risking).

The research work on the NDCs leads to concrete policy recommendations, something that is fully in keeping with our slogan “From Knowledge to Action“. Our closer focus now on international and national climate protection targets is important because time is quickly running out for climate protection measures.

25 September 2019