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Merkel: Decisive Action on Climate Change Needed

Without decisive action on climate change, the entire world will experience reduced prosperity, so the fight against climate change is also an economic investment in the future, Chancellor Angela Merkel told a group of legislators from the G8 and key emerging economies meeting in Washington on February 14.

Merkel delivered the keynote address, via video, at the opening of the Legislators Forum on Climate Change and Energy Security, held on Capitol Hill February 14 and 15. It is the second such forum held in the framework of the G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue. The legislators, including Democratic and Republican members of Congress, are being joined by some of the world’s key business leaders, international development institutions, as well as global civil society organizations.

Urgent issues

How can we prevent global warming from exceeding more than two degrees Celsius? How can we guarantee energy supplies in the long term? These are two issues for which Chancellor Merkel wants to find solutions. She has made global climate protection one of the priorities of both the German EU and G8 presidencies.

“The impact of climate change affects industrialized countries and emerging economies to the same extent,” Chancellor Merkel said. “Protecting our economic future through innovation, energy efficiency and renewable energies is a global challenge. There is therefore a good chance that we will finally find a common basis for global climate protection.”

She provided some initial answers in her video message at the forum.

Merkel referred to the report recently issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to projections made by scientists global warming will bring about a considerable rise in the sea level.

Merkel proposes three courses of action:

Bringing about a global and ambitious increase in energy efficiency.
Expanding the use of renewable energies and CO2-free power plants.
Creating economic incentives through a global carbon market.

“Together we have a change in 2007 to map out a course for the future of humanity.”

February 15, 2007

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Text - Video Message from Chancellor Merkel to the Legislators Forum on Climate Change and Energy Security in Washington, DC, on February 14, 2007

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