Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2023 | 09 May 2023

Why in News?

The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change was hosted in Berlin, Germany from May 2-3, 2023, by Germany and the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC).

What is Petersberg Dialogue?

  • The Petersberg Climate Dialogue is an annual high-level political and international forum held before the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP).
  • It was initiated in 2010 by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
  • The forum aims to prepare for successful negotiations at COP climate change conferences.
  • The central goal is to strengthen trust in multilateral climate negotiations and between states.
  • The dialogue focuses on climate adaptation, climate finance, and dealing with loss and damage.

What are the Key Takeaways from the Petersberg Climate Dialogue?

  • Need for Clean Energy Transition:
  • Global Renewables Target:
    • German Foreign Minister initiated discussions around a potential global target for renewables at the next climate conference. And stressed the need to make sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
  • Fossil Fuel Phaseout:
    • COP28 President called for a tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 followed by a doubling in 2040. And urged participants to ramp up renewable energy capacity building and focus on phasing out fossil fuel emissions while phasing up viable, affordable zero-carbon alternatives.
  • Status of Climate Finance:
    • The developed countries are “on a good track” to deliver the USD 100 billion per year they had promised to mobilize by 2020 during COP15 in 2009.
      • However, a recent estimate pegs climate finance needs at 1 trillion USD annually by 2030 for emerging markets alone, highlighting the urgent need for financial reparations.
  • Urgent Global Financial Systems Transformation:
    • The need for an urgent global financial systems transformation was underlined so that crucial climate finance can be unlocked for the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.
      • The burden of keeping global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5°C cannot fall on the poorest countries, who are least responsible for the stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
  • Global Stocktake:
    • 2023 is the year for the Global Stocktake, which aims to assess whether current efforts will enable us to reach the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement.
      • The report has been underway for the past two years and is set to be released in September of 2023.
        • Union Minister for the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, stated that the outcome of the first Global Stocktake should focus on how climate change impacts, actions, and responses have a bearing on the developmental priorities of developing countries, including eradication of poverty. It should also seek to convey a message on sustainable lifestyles and sustainable consumption to inform the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions and enhanced international cooperation.

What are the India's Initiatives for Climate Change and Green Energy?

  • National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC):
    • It was established in 2015 to meet the cost of adaptation to climate change for the State and Union Territories of India that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
  • National Clean Energy Fund:
    • The Fund was created to promote clean energy, and funded through an initial carbon tax on the use of coal by industries.
    • It is governed by an Inter-Ministerial Group with the Finance Secretary as the Chairman.
    • Its mandate is to fund research and development of innovative clean energy technology in the fossil and non-fossil fuel-based sectors.
  • National Adaptation Fund:
    • The fund was established in 2014 with a corpus of Rs. 100 crores with the aim of bridging the gap between the need and the available funds.
    • The fund is operated under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q. With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2016)

1.The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN, and it will go into effect in 2017.

2.The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2ºC or even 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.

3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)

Mains

Q. Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (2021)

Source: DTE