6th Petersberg Climate Dialogue

“Reaching for the Paris outcome”

Background paper for the press

Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius have invited some 35 ministers from all regions of the world to participate in the 6th Petersberg Climate Dialogue from 17 to 19 May 2015. A new climate agreement is due to be adopted in Paris at the end of the year (30 November - 11 December 2015). Together, Germany and France want to lay the foundations for success in Paris. The 6th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, with the slogan "Reaching for the Paris outcome", aims to identify remaining challenges and bring concrete possibilities for action to light. The dialogue will strengthen political momentum ahead of the conference in Paris and as such makes a concrete contribution to UN climate negotiations, but will by no means replace them.

Looking ahead to Paris, the following points will be on the agenda of this year's dialogue:

• The objective for Paris is to adopt a comprehensive, ambitious and legally binding agreement to which all countries contribute and which enters into force in 2020. What is the benchmark for success in Paris? How can we reach a consensus on the key elements of such an agreement? What principles need to be considered during this process? • All countries have agreed to submit their intended nationally-determined contributions (INDC'S) in good time ahead of Paris. How can we ensure that this is done as soon as possible and that all major emitters submit their contributions in the first half of the year? How can we guarantee that all countries make an appropriate and fair contribution to keeping global warming below the agreed 2 degrees Celsius limit? How can these contributions be later integrated into the agreement? • The Paris agreement will contain a mechanism to raise ambition levels with the aim of achieving global decarbonisation by the second half of the century. With a view to achieving a consensus, what features should such a mechanism have? How can we best define the goal of becoming climate neutral in the long term? • The objective of the Paris agreement is to make international climate policy more comparable, binding and honest. In light of differing national circumstances, what would such a solid set of rules that is applicable to all look like? • Paris needs to produce some plausible climate finance solutions to support the reduction of greenhouse gases and adaptation to climate change. How can industrialised countries fulfil their commitment of mobilising 100 billion US Dollars annually from 2020 onwards? Which initiatives can help us? What further efforts must be undertaken to achieve the necessary transformation towards low-emission and climate-resilient development? • During negotiations, how can we come up with a text for the agreement that is acceptable to and agreed on by all countries? What role are the ministers and heads of state and government playing in the lead up to Paris? How can the formal UN negotiations be made more efficient? The 6th Petersberg Climate Dialogue strives to achieve the following outcomes: • Further progress in the development of the key elements of the Paris agreement and a common understanding of the milestones needed to achieve the broadest possible consensus in the run-up to Paris. • A better understanding regarding progress made preparing national contributions and an explicit call for all countries to submit appropriate and fair contributions as soon as possible. • A clear commitment to the 2 degree target and the establishment of a mechanism to raise ambition levels with the aim of achieving global decarbonisation. • Progress towards agreement on a solid set of rules for reporting, accounting and a compliance regime. • Develop a common understanding of how to mobilise the required financial resources for mitigation and adaptation measures to comply with the 2 degree target and adapting to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. The outcomes of the dialogue will give support to the Paris conference. The outcomes will be summarised by Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and the Chair of the Paris Conference, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, in the Co-Chairs Summary, thus making the outcomes available to be used as input for the UN climate negotiations. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande will both be giving keynote speeches at this year's Petersberg Climate Dialogue. Federal President Joachim Gauck will be inviting the ministers to a lunch reception. Germany, as current holder of the G7 Presidency, wishes to support the successful conclusion of an ambitious agreement in Paris. Therefore, all G7 countries are invited to participate in an additional informal meeting of the G7 climate ministers on 19 May directly after the Petersberg Climate Dialogue.

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Context and background The Petersberg Climate Dialogue as a political forum for a progressive international climate policy Event: The Petersberg Climate Dialogue goes back to an initiative launched by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel after the climate negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009. Objective: The purpose of the dialogue is to advance international climate action on several levels:

1) UN Climate Negotiations: Scheduled in the middle of the year, the dialogue gives ministers the opportunity for political reflection on the decisions taken at past UN climate conferences. At the same time, the dialogue is an opportunity to openly discuss the desired outcomes of upcoming UN climate conferences. The Petersberg Climate Dialogues from 2010 to 2014 gave us concrete ideas of what can be achieved politically in relation to the targets set and thus made an important contribution to the success of the climate conferences. The objective of this year's dialogue is to lend direct support to the preparations for the climate conference in Paris. Germany and France consider it particularly important this year to strengthen political momentum ahead of the Paris conference and demonstrate various options for action and strengthening alliances. 2) Climate policy of participating countries: The dialogue builds a bridge between “action and negotiation” and provides a platform for an exchange on the challenges all countries face in the implementation and planning of climate measures. The International Partnership on Mitigation and MRV (measurement, reporting and verification www.mitigationpartnership.net), set up at the first Petersberg Climate Dialogue, promotes international networking and practical exchange. The dialogue also helps players to use experience gained in the implementation of climate action for the UN climate negotiations.

Format: Each year, the Petersberg Climate Dialogue is organised and co-chaired by Germany and the Presidency of the next UN climate change conference (Mexico in 2010, South Africa in 2011, Qatar in 2012, Poland in 2013, Peru in 2014 and this year France). Political representatives from regions all over the world and from all negotiating groups participate in the dialogue. Discussions are held in an informal style to facilitate an open and honest debate. In order to maintain the informal atmosphere, the number of participating countries is limited to around 35, with the countries varying somewhat each year.

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