The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change

• 05 May 2023

On May 2-3, 2023, the Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change took place in Berlin which was jointly hosted by Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

About the Dialogue

The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change is an annual high-level political meeting on climate change being organized by the German government since 2010.

• Ministers from 40 countries attended the conference to discuss the way forward towards COP28.

Key Points

Potential Global Renewables Target: It was highlighted that in order to limit the global warming to 1.5°C, the world needs to make sharp cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.

Acceleration Agenda: The Secretary General of the United Nations said that the Agenda calls for coal phase-out by 2030 in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and by 2040 in all others, as well as achieving Net Zero electricity generation and decarbonising major sectors. (Note: The OECD is an intergovernmental economic organization with 38 member countries, mostly high-income economies. Its headquarter is in Paris, France.)

On Track For $100 Billion Climate Finance: Developed countries are “on good track” to deliver the $100 billion per year they had promised to mobilise by 2020. However, delivering the $100 billion goal in 2023 might be too little too late.

Global Stocktake: 2023 is the year for the Global Stocktake, which is essentially a periodic review of global climate action which aims to assess whether current efforts will enable us to reach the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement.

UN Secretary-General's Call: United Nations Secretary-General emphasized the need for cleaning-up economies and breaking fossil fuel addiction and driving decarbonisation in every sector to achieve a 1.5-degree global warming pathway.