Climate crisis: Climate: Dozens of states to move away from oil, coal and gas

Four weeks before the World Climate Conference in Turkey, dozens of countries called for more ambition in the fight against global warming at a preparatory meeting in the South Pacific - in particular the gradual abandonment of coal, oil and gas. In a joint statement, the ministers and government representatives also insist on reducing emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases “strongly, quickly and sustainably” and tripling the capacity of renewable energies worldwide by 2030 – as agreed by almost 200 countries three years ago by consensus at the UN climate conference in Dubai.

Among the participants in the “Pre-COP” in Fiji, as the meeting is called in UN jargon, are representatives of many island states threatened by the climate crisis and rising sea levels, including Tuvalu and Mauritius, but also states such as Australia, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates. Germany is also represented at the three-day meeting, which runs until Thursday, with Environment State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth.

“Every fraction of a degree of warming” counts

The signatories called on the world to “stand united behind all those on the front lines of the climate crisis.” The earth has already heated up by almost 1.5 degrees worldwide compared to pre-industrial times, and the naturally occurring climate phenomenon El Niño is also having harmful effects. It warned that “every fraction of a degree of warming” accelerates the effects of climate change and the risk of irreparable loss and damage, particularly in small island states and the least developed countries.

The declaration welcomes the emerging “momentum” that the international community is setting a new global goal for electrification at the upcoming climate conference in Antalya. Turkey, as host, proposed in the summer to increase the share of electrical energy in final consumption from today's 20 to 35 percent by 2035. However, critics point out that this only helps climate protection if the electricity comes from renewable sources such as wind, sun or hydropower and not from fossil fuels.

The co-host of the “Pre-COP”, Tuvalu, will also be hosting the second international conference on moving away from fossil fuels together with Ireland in July 2027.