19 May 2015: The Sixth Petersberg Climate Dialogue focused on preparations for the Paris Climate Change Conference and included discussions on: the core elements of the planned 2015 climate agreement; intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs); the role of climate finance; the form a set of rules “anchored in the Paris agreement” might take; and the best way to use the remaining time before Paris in order to address as many unresolved issues as quickly as possible.

The Dialogue, which met from 18-19 May 2015, in Berlin, Germany, under the theme ‘Reaching for the Paris outcome,’ brought together ministers from 36 countries to discuss approaches for accelerating progress in the climate negotiations, and to strengthen political momentum ahead of the Paris Conference. Also in attendance were the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres and representatives of the UN Secretary-General.

At the close of Dialogue, German Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks stressed the importance of clarifying outstanding issues early on and said the basis for political decisions must be agreed upon by October 2015. Hendricks called for: all major emitters that have not already done so to submit their INDCs as quickly as possible; a climate-neutral global economy in the second half of this century; and combining the long-term goal with a mechanism to enable countries to regularly scale up their contributions after Paris.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he will convene a ministerial meeting in Paris in mid-July to take stock of the results of the June Bonn session. He outlined the four pillars of the Paris Alliance: the agreement; INDCs; increased public and private climate finance; and an action agenda to advance new initiatives from non-state actors.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande also addressed the Dialogue, and released a joint statement, titled ‘Petersberg Dialogue Call for Climate Action.’ Merkel noted Germany’s intent to double its contribution to climate finance compared with 2014 levels, while Hollande said climate change is not only a threat, but an opportunity to invent a different development model.

In the joint statement, they support: an “ambitious, comprehensive and binding UN climate agreement” in Paris; the goal of limiting global temperature increase to below 2°C; and a “fundamental shift” of investments into low-carbon infrastructure, technologies and climate-friendly land use.

Specifically, they call for, inter alia: establishing a shared vision and concrete action for a transformation toward full decarbonization; submitting INDCs well in advance of Paris; advancing long-term national and regional strategies for low-carbon and resilient development; mobilizing climate finance for developing countries reaching US$100 billion per year goal by 2020; increasing support for low-carbon development and climate resilience in development assistance; establishing initiatives for investing in low-carbon technologies, particularly in renewable energies and resource efficiency, and sustainable land use; strengthening adaptation and resilience of the most vulnerable countries through insurance mechanisms and early warning systems; and introducing carbon markets and pricing. Merkel and Hollande also expressed their respective countries’ commitment to reduce emissions by 80-95% in 2050 compared to 1990 levels.

The Dialogue, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) and first convened in May 2010 at the behest of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is chaired by Germany and the president of the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC at the time. [Sixth Petersburg Climate Dialogue Website] [BMUB Press Release, 15 May] [BMUB Press Release, 19 May] [Joint Statement by Merkel and Hollande] [Co-Chairs’ Summary] [Background Paper]