Climate policy: „global enthusiasm“

Mrs Espinosa, the Paris Agreement makes all countries responsible for combatting global warming – large and small countries, rich and poor. How serious are they taking the treaty?
Very seriously: the speed at which the Agreement came into force and the level of ratifications – currently at over 150, and with more monthly – underlines the enthusiasm globally.

What about developing countries, are they investing in clean energy systems, too?
Yes, and it is not just China, investment in renewables is advancing in so many developing countries – in 2016, Jordan was a standout example as was India – India saw the construction of the Ramanathapuram solar complex in Tamil Nadu: at 648 MW, it could be the world’s largest ever PhotoVoltaic project.

What role do you see for development organizations like GIZ in implementing the Paris Agreement?
Their role is crucial for building new kinds of cooperations, de-risking and catalyzing technologies like renewable energies and getting green finance flowing.

The developing countries are supposed to get support from the Green Climate Fund in this endeavor – a fund that is supporting climate-friendly as well as adaptation projects. Is that mechanism working well by now?
I think we are seeing positive change with funding for projects really getting underway. Everybody can assess the actions for themselves on the website of the Green Climate Fund.

Photo: UNclimatechange, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)