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Chancellor Merkel Launches New Climate Initiative on Reduction of Greenhouse Gases

Japan: The Chancellor gives her address
© REGIERUNGonline/Kugler

On her visit to Japan, Chancellor Angela Merkel has made a new proposal for reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases. She suggested that CO2 emissions should be measured in terms of population numbers. On her second day in Japan the Chancellor was received by Emperor Akihito – with him too she discussed climate protection.

According to Merkel's proposal, CO2 emissions would be measured per capita. The maximum COs emissions of a country would thus be measured in terms of population numbers. The larger the population of a country, the more CO2 the country would be permitted to emit. This would mean that every individual in the world would be entitled to emit the same volume of carbon dioxide.

To date only the absolute CO2 emissions have been taken. Using these measurements both Germany and China for instance are two of the world's worst producers of CO2 emissions.

It is not enough for everybody to claim that they are "doing their best", said the Chancellor at a symposium organised by the Nikkei media business. We need "qualifiable reduction goals" for emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

Per capita CO2 emissions meet in the middle

In her proposal, Merkel presupposes that the industrialised countries cut their share of energy consumption as far as possible, thus reducing per capita emissions of carbon dioxide.

The emerging economies, on the other hand, need to grow if they are to reduce poverty. The downside is, of course, that their emissions of CO2 will continue to rise in the years to come. In the final analysis the per capita emissions in emerging economies will meet those of industrialised countries.

If the agreement is to be just, one thing must be clear, however, stressed the Chancellor, "I cannot imagine that the emerging economies will one day be permitted to emit more CO2 per capita than we in the industrialised countries".

If the emerging economies were to accept this proposal, they would face the task of braking the rise in their CO2 emissions. This is possible with "intelligent growth", explained Merkel thinking of the most modern of environmental technologies – many of which come from Germany.

With Merkel's proposal, the emerging nations with rapidly expanding economies could be brought on board the global climate negotiations scheduled for 2009.

The USA must be part of the agreement

The Chancellor also pointed out the vitally important role of the USA. "The USA will be part of it. It must be part of it," she said.

If the USA refuse to be part of the follow-on agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, India, China and other high-emission countries too will walk away. The Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

The aim is to halve global CO2 emissions by 2050. To achieve this objective, every country in the world must pull its weight – otherwise average temperatures around the globe are set to rise by more than two degrees. This would be a climate disaster which could no longer be brought under control, as evidenced by scientists in the IPCC study published a few weeks ago.

Expanding economic relations – a worthwhile task

The Chancellor believes that cooperation between the German and Japanese economies in the field of environmental technology offers major opportunities. She pointed out that in Japan, solar energy is already being used to a greater extent than in Germany.

Merkel spoke out in favour of transparent regulations for hedge funds and rating agencies. The work of the agencies that certify the creditworthiness of banks and government bonds must be easily understood. In the past they have issued excellent ratings, which subsequently proved to be erroneous.

It is not fair, the Chancellor continued, that the risks engendered are later borne by individuals alone. It cannot be right that strict rules apply to shares but not to the many new financial products on the market.

August 30, 2007

source: REGIERUNGonline

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