Environment Minister Hendricks: "Paris Agreement is irreversible"
The G7 Environment Ministers’ meeting in Bologna, under the lead of the G7 Italian Presidency, was concluded with a strong commitment to implement the Paris Agreement and to continue an ambitious climate policy. Guest countries Ethiopia, Chile, Rwanda and the Republic of Maldives also jointly made it clear that the Paris Agreement is irreversible. A comprehensive Communiqué adopted at the end of the meeting set out the ministers’ climate agenda. Furthermore, the ministers agreed on a work programme to strengthen resource efficiency and on further steps to implement the G7 Action Plan on Marine Litter.
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks welcomed the results of the meeting in saying: "The international community is united in its understanding that the Paris Agreement is the basis for climate policy – it is irreversible and non-negotiable. The countries participating in the meeting emphasised this vis-a-vis the United States at the G7 meeting. We nevertheless stand ready to continue our close cooperation despite all differences. There was no doubt among the G7 countries that now additional efforts are needed to significantly reduce GHG emissions."
The work programme adopted by the G7 Environment Ministers to promote resource efficiency in the coming years is titled "5-year Bologna Roadmap". It contains their priorities in combatting the waste of natural resources, for instance: the G7 countries want to improve scientific data on global resource consumption, examine its interlinkages with climate change, extend the lifetime of products and develop measures to fight food loss and waste.
The ministers also agreed on further steps to counteract marine litter in the framework of the G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter adopted at the 2015 Elmau Summit. The private sector is to be involved more intensively in combatting marine litter, in particular, with regard to developing and establishing well-functioning waste management systems, both on land and at sea.