Climate Protection / Europe

Gabriel: Europe remains leader in climate protection

Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has welcomed the agreement reached by the European heads of state and government on the EU climate package. "In view of the difficult economic framework conditions, this is a good result for climate and industrial policy. The decision ensures that Europe will reach its climate protection target", Minister Gabriel commented at the Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland. more

• Background paper on the Directive (in German only)
• Press release as of 13.12.2008: Gabriel: Europe is continuing along its renewables course

Europe / Climate protection

Sigmar Gabriel: European Parliament backing for CO2 emissions reductions for cars is a positive signal

Following the EU Council, the European Parliament has now also backed the compromise on reducing the CO2 emissions from cars. The central element of the compromise is that average CO2 emissions of new cars must be limited to 120 gram per kilometre in future. more

• Press release as of 02.12.2008: Gabriel: Efficient cars are the future

Climate protection / International

Gabriel: Financial crisis is an argument for resolute climate protection

"The signal sent from Poznan is clear: the financial crisis is an argument for resolute climate protection, not against it. Ignoring the climate risk would be more expensive than the financial crisis - and the consequences would be irreversible", Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan. more

• Pictures from the conference
• COP 14 - UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan/Poland

International climate protection

Signal for stronger ties between forest conservation and international climate protection

On 12 December 2008 at the international Climate Change Conference in Poznań, the German government and a number of other industrialised countries and developing countries with tropical rain forests adopted a joint declaration on concrete measures for linking forest conservation and climate protection. more

• Statement by Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel
• Joint Statement

Renewable Energies

IRENA to support climate protection

The foundation of the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA, initiated by Germany, met with vigorous backing at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland. more

• Information on IRENA
• www.irena.org

Climate Protection / International

Gabriel earmarks 200 million euro for climate protection projects in developing and newly industrialising countries

At an event on the margins of the climate negotiations in Poznań, the Federal Environment Ministry presented its International Climate Protection Initiative. This year the programme, which is funded by part of the auctioning revenues from emissions trading, is supporting more than 100 projects in developing, newly industrialising and transition countries with a total volume of around 200 million euro. more

Nature conservation / economy

Study on the economic dimension of biological diversity is carried out from Bonn

The study on the economic aspects of biological diversity, initiated by Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel and EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, and the work it entails worldwide, will from now on be coordinated from Bonn. Regarding the opening of the UN office responsible for carrying out the study, Minister Gabriel expressed his delight that the Federal Environment Ministry had succeeded in attracting an internationally renowned initiative to the UN city of Bonn. more

• Background paper

climate protection / economy

Minister Gabriel advocates procurement and investment pact

With annual expenditures for procurement amounting to a total of 260 billion euro federal, Länder and local authorities command a tremendous market potential. 50 billion euro out of the total sum are directly relevant for the "green" markets of the future. This is the result of a study carried out by the consultants McKinsey & Company Inc. and presented by Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Berlin more

Chemicals

European Chemicals Regulation REACH works

To date manufacturers and importers of chemicals have made extensive use of the opportunities provided by the new European chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals). The responsible European Chemicals Agency ECHA in Helsinki (Finland) received more than 2 million pre-registrations between 1 January and 1 December of this year. more

electric mobility

Germany aims to become market leader in electric mobility

Electric vehicles are the future. They will soon be an everyday sight in city traffic. As many as a million plug-in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are expected to drive on German streets by 2020. In order to achieve this, the German government will continue to bundle expertise from industry, the science sector and politics, and implement a catalogue of measures ranging from support for battery research to incentives for market introduction. more

Climate / International

More funds to protect the ozone layer

Developing countries will receive more funds to phase out ozone-depleting substances. At the 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer which drew to a close in Doha (Qatar) last night, the 193 Contracting Parties agreed on a 400 million US$ support package for the Multilateral Fund (MLF). more

Environment / International

Germany and India agree strategic environment dialogue

India and Germany plan to expand their environment and climate protection cooperation. "Cooperation with India offers great investment opportunities for German industry. It is an essential part of the strategic environment dialogue which we use to intensively advocate an ambitious result in international climate negotiations", said German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel at the opening of the first Indo-German Environment Forum in New Delhi. more

• Conference documents
• Pictures from the conference
• German Information Centre New Delhi: Interview with German Environment Minister Gabriel