The Paris Agreement Five Years On Dossier 12 December 2020 marks the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Five years after Paris, the climate crisis has worsened, impacting the poorest and most vulnerable countries the worst, and inflicting already severe loss and damage. Signatory states are preparing to submit updated and more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction pledges, the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) for Glasgow in 2021 - with the United States under a Biden Administration expected to join in the effort. How can we increase targets to remain below 2 degrees Celsius global warming and finds ways to achieve them in a socially and gender-just manner? What financing contributions are needed to support developing countries? What false solutions must be avoided? And how can we push the urgently needed radical course change in pursuit of climate justice? We explore those questions in various contributions.
"Build Back Greener?" Biden's Plan for America's International Climate Commitment Analysis With the promise to re-enter the Paris Agreement early next year and to update the US nationally determined contribution (NDC) for COP 26 in Glasgow, this analysis looks at what the incoming Biden administration needs to do to regain its international climate credibility. By Liane Schalatek
Ministerial diversity meets green core competencies: Green co-governance in the federal states Analysis Since the 2017 federal elections, Alliance 90/The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) have increased the number of their governmental participations in the Länder on a high level. In Hesse, Bremen, Thuringia and Hamburg they were able to continue four coalitions in identical or slightly adjusted constellations. By Arne Jungjohann
A federal climate force: How the German Greens shaped the climate package through the Länder Analysis Questions of environmental and climate policy remain relevant even during a pandemic, as the protests and debates about the stimulus package to fight the crisis show. The German states have taken on a deciding roll regarding questions of implementation – which started already during the negotiations for the climate package. The Greens contributed the most to the climate package's increased substance. By Arne Jungjohann
Urgently wanted: a US stimulus package in which more than the dollar bills are green Analysis Numerous progressive proposals for a Green (New Deal) Recovery will see their chances for implementation after November at the earliest By Liane Schalatek
Climate Finance Fundamentals - Update 2018 This series of 12 short introductory briefings looks at various aspects of climate change financing drawing on data from www.climatefundsupdate.org, the tracking project of the Overseas Development Institute and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC, focusing on dedicated public climate financing instruments from pledge to project. By Liane Schalatek and Charlene Watson
Call for Applications: Transatlantic Media Fellows 2020 Each year, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC, sponsors a select number of journalists from the US, Canada, and Germany for an independent, transatlantic trip to research stories relevant to the foundation’s work on climate and energy policy, democracy and social policy, foreign and security policy, or technology and digital policy.
A Process on the Brink of Collapse Confronts a World on the Move Analysis The governments gathered in Madrid failed to embrace the urgent need for progress towards climate justice and higher ambitions. By Sebastien Duyck and Erika Lennon
Estonia is beginning to see the cost of wood pellets. Is North Carolina next? Transatlantic Media Fellowship Turning ancient forests into wood pellets is putting the country’s tourism and climate commitments at risk. By Elizabeth Ouzts
Social unrest in Chile and its effects on the climate agenda and COP25 Analysis Hosting COP 25 in Chile would have been an excellent chance to visualize the continent’s environmental problems and improve the space for negotiations. Now, Latin American civil society is making an effort to make their voices heard in Madrid. By Javiera Valencia
