Dubai (dpa) – At the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the German government intends to push for ambitious targets – including a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas. “Now is the time to set the pace. COP28 is the most important global climate conference since the Paris Agreement. For the first time, we are taking stock of where we stand as a global community,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference. For two weeks, representatives of around 200 countries will be in the Emirate of Dubai to discuss how to contain the climate crisis. In total, around 70,000 participants will be meeting there – making COP28 the biggest climate conference ever. Some 160 heads of state and government from all over the world are expected on Friday and Saturday.
At the meeting, Germany will push for the community to agree on a gradual phase-out of fossil energies – though considered a particularly contentious point in the oil-producing UAE, this is essential if the crisis is to be contained, according to the IPCC. Furthermore, Germany wants to enshrine the goal of tripling renewable energy capacities by 2030 and doubling energy efficiency.