At a time when large parts of northern Germany are flooded, this data is surprising: But according to data from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research UFZ’s “Drought Monitor,” the soil 1.80 meters below the surface is actually still dry to the point of extreme drought in large parts of Germany. In eastern and northeastern […]
The current flood disaster in northern and central Germany is in line with climate science predictions of possible extreme events in winter – namely in terms of their causes, course, and effects. The climate models predict more frequent heavy rainfall because warmer air absorbs more moisture. As rivers and wetlands are unable to drain or […]
The coming year will also again bring important developments in climate policy. Some of these are already apparent: global warming, for instance, will continue and its effects will make new headlines. Other trends will probably continue in the same direction as before – while decisions such as elections can lead to unexpected changes.An overview of […]
The year regularly comes to an end for climate diplomacy with the most important and largest international event: the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. What is decided – or not decided – at the climate summit has a significant impact on global and national climate policy. However, […]
At 11.09 on Wednesday morning, COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber opened the pivotal session of the Dubai Climate Change Conference. In the Al Hairat plenary, he presented his proposal for the main final document on the Global Stocktake (GST) to the overtired delegates of COP28. Just as Laurent Fabius, then President of the 2015 Paris […]
The deadlock at COP28 in Dubai over a controversial final declaration on the Global Stocktake (GST) has rekindled an age-old debate in the UN climate negotiations: Why doesn’t COP vote by majority? And it draws attention to the countries of the Arab world, which are apparently among the biggest obstructionists at the conference. They are […]
Mr. Steiner, at last year’s COP27, you were very concerned about the debt crisis in developing countries. Has the situation improved since then?No, it has become even more acute compared to last year because the interest rates on the largest capital markets have actually gone up. The developing countries’ costs for their interest payments have […]
It all started with positive surprises: An agenda without disputes, a decision on the loss and damage fund and a surprising amount of money. It continued with positive statements from heads of government, flawless organization, a pleasant atmosphere in the negotiating rooms and far-reaching declarations – and it ended in a disaster for the moment: […]
Amidst the final negotiations at COP, a controversial study shows that emerging and developing countries drive global warming more than developed countries and their historical emissions. This shakes a core narrative of the UN climate process. The matter is correspondingly uncomfortable for many countries.The signs are changing on a central question of global climate policy: […]
Ms. Morgan, from an outsider’s perspective, the negotiations seem to be stuck several days before the end: There’s a very long text with all options for a fossil exit, which is not decisive. The process for adapting to climate change is blocked and slowing down everything else. Is it normal for things to be stuck […]