Climate policy is about more than protecting the environment – it is also a policy for innovation, a policy for Germany as a location for business and a policy for more security. Plus, in these geopolitically challenging times, climate policy provides an opportunity to overcome old divides in power politics. Those countries which are working together, which want to achieve something in climate policy, have the chance to get everyone on board and to lead the world to the vital 1.5 degree pathway. And in a world in which the global regulatory framework is under increasing pressure, to thereby help strengthen multilateralism. For it is no longer the G7 against the G77. Rather, we are joining forces with those who we hope want to prevent the climate crisis, thus helping to bring about more justice in the world.

We, as the international community, are implementing the Paris Agreement together. Germany is therefore now presenting a strategy for its climate foreign policy, that is to say for its climate policy in relation to the rest of the world – the first country to do so.

Climate action is a cross-cutting issue for our Government. This is true both nationally and internationally. As we travel towards a zero-carbon economy, we are strongest when we bring our different interests in the field of climate, energy and trade into line and coordinate them closely with our international partners. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has shown us that a secure, climate-neutral and low-cost energy supply not only is an important part of our efforts to tackle the climate crisis, but also plays a major role in placing our security of supply on strong internal and external foundations, and in offering disadvantaged regions in this world new opportunities for value creation and a more socially just development. This is also a principle of our climate foreign policy.

Climate action can only succeed as a team effort. There are so many interrelated factors, which is why good coordination within the German Government is so important. The success of the energy transition in Germany also depends on the conditions in our partner countries, where we source raw materials for things like batteries and green hydrogen. At the same time, there is a lot we can do to help mitigate climate change in other countries. The Development Ministry can engage its global partnerships here, and will further increase its political involvement.

We need strong partners worldwide to tackle the enormity of the challenges posed by the rapidly advancing climate crisis. We need to take an integrated approach to addressing climate action and adaptation, biodiversity conservation and pollution. We do not have time to deal with these crises one at a time. This is why we are supporting our partners worldwide in conserving their forests, peatlands and mangroves. With the German Government’s Strategy on Climate Foreign Policy, we are collaborating with our partners to achieve comprehensive climate action. Ultimately, nature conservation fosters climate action, and climate action protects nature.