19 February 2007 – Last weekend, Environment Ministers from the G8 countries met in Potsdam near Berlin with representatives from the five biggest developing economies. Despite conflicting views from the EU and the US, the German Minister Sigmar Gabriel thinks the meeting gave a good signal for the G8+5 Summit in June. 

The Ministers have sought common ground on two major global environmental issues: biodiversity and climate change. According to a press release from Saturday, the Ministers have agreed on new policies concerning these issues, although it does not give any specifics.

The EU has already committed itself to a 20% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020, and 30% if other (non-EU) countries were to join in as well. But the position of the United States is unclear. The US representative, Stephen Johnson from the Environmental Protection Agency, rejected the idea of emissions trading as a means to limit emissions. The US favours voluntary targets and technology development, in which it invests 3,000 million dollars a year, said Johnson.

The German Environment Minister Gabriel stressed that industrialised countries have a special responsibility in climate policies, since they are the main causers of the greenhouse effect. He also said that without the collaboration of the emerging economies, there will be no progress in climate control. The 5 developing economies present were: China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. But the US refuses to acknowledge any responsibility towards developing economies and rejects eventual privileges for them.

The discussion with the developing countries was “very open, honest and constructive,” said Minister Gabriel. Brazil for example told a tale on the value of western promises. In the past, Brazil was promised the grand sum of 1,200 million dollars if deforestation in the rainforests would be reduced. But despite bringing back logging to half of what it was before, Brazil has only seen a fraction of the promised amount.

The meeting in Potsdam should be regarded as a preparation for the G8+5 Summit from 6 to 8 June in Heiligendamm, Germany, and for the Climate Protection Conference in December in Bali. Head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Yvo de Boer, said last week he hoped the conference would make a first step toward negotiating post-2012 climate rules.

In the next few weeks, the German government will prepare a timetable and a concept on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions internationally, Gabriel told the Berliner Zeitung on Monday.

More information:

G8 website

Meeting press release

Gabriel on the meeting