'Multilateralism is the Only Viable International Architecture'
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- Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States of America, Klaus Scharioth
- (© German Embassy, Washington DC)
German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth discussed multilateral approaches to meeting today's toughest global challenges with Washington DC area World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) members at his residence on October 5.
"We live in a globalized world where no single country can solve every problem alone," he said before a room filled with guests, ranging from students to seasoned legal, economic and foreign policy experts.
A legacy of painful division
Ambassador Scharioth also cited the 20th anniversary this year of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, which affected countless individuals - including himself.
"I speak from experience because my father's family was in the East and my mother's family was in the West - as women always have their say I grew up in the West," said Scharioth, eliciting laughter from his audience.
Yet on a more serious note that produced audible gasps, the ambassador explained how this geographical and ideological divide tore an emotional rift through his family: Scharioth's father was not allowed by the former East German communist regime to see his own mother for 21 years.
Scharioth could however still venture eastwards to visit his grandmother, who would not have been allowed to travel to West Germany at the time.
"I know about painful division because my own family experienced this painful division," he said.
US support critical to German unification
Two key developments helped overcome Germany's artificial postwar separation: a peaceful revolution in the former East Germany, and the unwavering support of the United States in bringing about German unification in 1990.
"After the fall of the Berlin Wall it was the US who was our first ally that saw a historic opportunity to get this done. I participated myself in the so-called 2+4 Talks and can only tell you that without the help of the US we would not have learned that lesson," said Scharioth.
"Together we made it. The lesson I draw from that is if we face challenges together we have a very good chance of solving them," he added.
Climate change biggest global challenge
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- Melting Arctic ice affects the survival of species such as the polar bear.
- (© picture-alliance/dpa)
The most urgent international crisis today is climate change and the related quandary of energy security, said Scharioth.
"We must face up to this in the next few years, because time is running out ... We have a very small window left to act," he underscored.
The 2007 German EU Presidency put forward an ambitious "20-20-20" climate and energy package that has been adopted by all 27 European Union member states - reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, increase energy efficiency and increase the use of renewables by 20 percent by 2020.
Germany has meanwhile already met a Kyoto Protocol target to reduce CO2 emissions by 21 percent compared to 1990 levels, having reached 23 percent as of today, with a more ambitious goal of 35 percent achievable in the near future, Scharioth suggested.
Germany's share of renewable energy has increased from 4.5 percent in 1990 to 15.5 percent today, thanks in part to a "feed-in" tariff system that has inspired individuals to install solar panels and other renewable technologies in their own homes with a guarantee that electric companies must purchase from them any extra energy produced so it flows into the wider power grid.
The choice clearly is not between a good climate and jobs, said Scharioth, citing the benefits of a green economy and a third industrial revolution now underway in Germany, where some 280,000 jobs were created in the renewable energy sector within nine years and some 1.8 million jobs exist in all environmental sectors.
A global trailblazer in solar power, Germany was also until recently world leader in wind power - where it has now been overtaken by the United States.
Would you take a plane destined to crash?
Scharioth moreover said in response to a question from a WACA member that during his own travels across the US over the past three years he has noticed a marked shift in perceptions towards accepting the reality of climate change.
Another WACA member asked him if there was ever any resistance to the concept of climate change as a human-made phenomenon in Europe.
Scharioth acknowledged debate had raged in Europe too, but that this debate has been over for at least 10 to 15 years, based on conclusive evidence presented by scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
"They said the probability is just 90 percent (that it is human-made)," said Scharioth. "If you take a plane to New York and they say there is a 90 percent chance it doesn't make it, would you take it? I would not. I'm a cautious person. I believe this."
Seeking multilateral solutions
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- The Globe
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As a second major global challenge Scharioth cited the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
"If we do not act now in 15 to 20 years we could go from eight countries with nuclear weapons to 20 or 25 ... This is not a safer world," he cautioned.
Other major challenges include: fundamentalist extremism; failed states that become incubators for extremism and organized crime; poverty and disease; and particular places, including Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Russia.
The upshot: Multilateralism is the only viable international architecture for the world in the 21st century.
This includes the urgent need for every nation to multinationalize its fuel cycle, as Germany has for instance already done together with the Netherlands and the UK, in a bid to boost energy security, combat climate change and even reduce potential nuclear threats.
Related Links:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) - Climate, Energy
Success Story: Feed-in Tariffs Support Renewable Energy in Germany (e-Parliament)
European Commission: Climate Action - Energy for a Changing World
