Berlin climate dialogue opens with call for faster energy transition

The 17th Petersberg Climate Dialogue opened in Berlin on Tuesday with a call by UN Secretary General António Guterres for action on the global energy transition in light of rising prices due to the war in Iran.

Guterres addressed the participants in a short video message, urging them not to let up on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and finance international action on climate change.

"Fossil fuels are not just wrecking our planet," Guterres argued. "They're holding economies hostage."

He added: "We can repeat the failures of the past, or we can unleash the renewables revolution. Let us make the right choice, for climate stability, for energy security, for a liveable future."

Germany has hosted the Petersberg Climate Dialogue since 2010 as a complement to the UN climate conferences. The meeting was first held in Petersberg near Bonn, but now takes place regularly in the German capital.

Around 400 participants are expected this year, including representatives from the business sector and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum, whose country is hosting the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya in November.

Kurum said multilateral cooperation has been weakened but is not over, promising that the Turkish presidency will lead the next UN conference responsibly.

The minister appealed to all countries to submit the required reports on their national climate targets, warning 43 states have yet to do so. At the same time, donors must honour their funding commitments for global climate protection and replenish financial resources, he added.

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider opened the conference with a warning that dependence on oil, gas and coal is an incalculable risk for countries including Germany.

"It is clear that this crisis is a fossil fuel crisis," he stated. In contrast, Schneider argued that renewable energy sources are "security energies" and the greatest lever in the fight against climate change.

He emphasized that the energy transition is well advanced and cannot be stopped. "But we need to pick up the pace and do even better because our planet continues to heat up."

Schneider said pressure against climate policies is rising, while the issue of climate change is being overshadowed by other crises.

"At the same time, people want us to make progress on climate action," he said.

In Germany, a recent survey found that 70% of people said it was right to become climate-neutral by 2045.

"Just because the opponents are often louder does not mean that they are the majority," the minister stressed.