PAREMIA – Partnerships for ambitious resilience and mitigation action

Implementing climate protection more efficiently

Since 2020, all countries that signed the Paris Agreement in 2015 have had to implement the climate targets they set themselves (NDCs). To do so, they were required to communicate them to the Climate Secretariat (UNFCCC). Analyses of the targets show that we are moving too slowly. They are not sufficient to stay on a 1.5 to 2-degree path. The federal court of justice in Germany also agreed with these analyses and ruled in favour of lawsuits filed by youth organisations at the end of April. The German government must tighten its targets and not postpone action too far into the future! Even the new climate law with its tightened targets falls short of the mark.

Where individual countries reach their limits in implementing the SDGs and the Paris goals, Germany can support the necessary transformation to net-zero emissions and resilient societies through bilateral or multilateral partnerships. This can also boost Germany's own ambition.

Rixa Schwarz

Germanwatch

Team-lead, International Climate Policy

How can the goals be made more ambitious?

There are many starting points for protecting our climate more effectively and more efficiently – just as there are for protecting those affected by the consequences of climate change. One possibility is to enter into partnerships with other countries. Together, unused potential can be discovered and also exploited. The vehicles for this are technology transfer, but also the exchange of knowledge and experience. Specifically, Germany has a lot to contribute with its experience in its own energy transition. In India, for example, which is still heavily dependent on coal-fired power, knowledge and technology can help reduce emissions. In many regions of India, people are working on modern mobility concepts, especially in urban areas. This can reduce individual traffic and thus also CO₂emissions. Germany needs to catch up in the transport sector in particular. Here, hardly any emission reductions have been seen in recent years and Germany could benefit from international experience. The PAREMIA study by Germanwatch was located in this field of action of bilateral partnerships.

Using a speedometer, the study shows how climate resilient and climate protective the country under study is positioned. The recommendations for action on the right are explained in further detail.

Who defines the partners?

In order to achieve quick successes, which are urgently needed, Germany should look for partners who have already signalled their willingness to cooperate. In the past, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have already identified country candidates with which closer cooperation seems to make sense. Based on this, the Germanwatch study selected its countries of analysis. From this group, three countries (Chile, India, South Africa) were selected for closer discussions. Representatives of the respective governments and other actors in climate protection and resilience were available to answer questions. The result was a series of recommendations for action that are now to be incorporated into political decisions.

Science and politics must work together here. We can make good use of studies like PAREMIA to readjust our own strategic considerations and to underpin political decision-making. But the studies have to be well done, precise and with a clear view on their practicability!

Dr. Philipp Behrens

Head of Division of the International Climate Initiative IKI of the BMU

Political cooperation is necessary

Germanwatch presented the PAREMIA study together with the Munich Re Foundation to the BMZ and BMU in two separate workshops at the end of April. The results of the analysis and the recommendations for action were very well received there. In many areas, the results coincide with bilateral negotiations already taking place between Germany and the partner countries. In some areas, however, the study can offer new insights and perspectives. Head of Department of the International Climate Initiative IKI of the BMU, Dr. Philipp Behrens emphasised: "Science and politics must work together here. We can make good use of studies like PAREMIA to readjust our own strategic considerations and to underpin political decision-making. But the studies have to be well done, precise and with a clear view on their practicability!"

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Brief summary
Global efforts to realise rapid emission reductions and build resilience must be ramped up without further delay to meet the 1.5 °C Paris target and enable vulnerable communities to deal with climate impacts. Where individual states reach their limits in implementing the SDGs and Paris objectives, bilateral or multilateral partnerships can provide support for the necessary transformation to net-zero-emission and resilient societies. Partnerships are indispensable to achieve whole-societal transformation, as they enable countries to share knowledge, experience and resources. Germany entertains solid climate cooperation with several countries in the Global South. In this study, we analyse preconditions for such partnerships with 13 countries and suggest thematic starting points for three of them – Chile, India and South Africa.

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We thank Germanwatch for the trustful cooperation and congratulate the project team on the successful study publication. Together, we hope that it can contribute to making climate protection and resilience more ambitious worldwide.

Christian Barthelt, 26 May 2021