Tough struggle for climate protection: The come together negotiators at the UN climate change conference in the Polish city of Katowice (Katowice) according to the will of the conference, President Michal Kurtyka only early Saturday morning in plenary. A meeting was scheduled for 4 PM. The closing session at the end of the conference was initially planned for 6 to 8 hours. Whether it is really was initially unclear – in the negotiations, it often leads to delays.

Previously, had contacted several environmental organizations in an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and their support for ambitious climate goals required. The success of the 24. UN climate change conference “on the Brink”, said Germanwatch, Greenpeace Germany, WWF Germany and the Federal environment and nature conservation Germany (BUND) on Friday evening in Katowice. “Therefore, we have developed a public appeal to you.”

The organizations pointed out that the Federal environment Minister, Svenja Schulze (SPD) had announced on Wednesday in the framework of the so-called High Ambition Coalition with government representatives from other States, the national climate protection targets increase up to the year 2020. On Friday night, the Alliance called on again to be more ambitious in the fight against global warming. Federal Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) had said on Thursday evening in the ZDF, Schulze could connect this idea with the world climate conference in Katowice, decisions, but ultimately the Federal government.

Merkel must therefore position, called environmental organizations. “Without a clear positioning of Germany,” the threat of the advance of the Alliance of climate protection is particularly ambitious countries to fail, “to achieve a reasonably ambitious outcome in Katowice”.

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“We therefore ask you urgently, as Chancellor to clarify that the German government’s objectives behind these ambitious and announcements”, – stated in the appeal. “It is necessary to make the conference a success”.

The negotiations in Katowice were supposed to on Friday evening. Since some of the points in dispute are not resolved, is now expected, but with an extension to Saturday.

representatives of the so-called High Ambition Coalition (such as highly ambitious coalition) unfurled together with a Transparent with the inscription “Together for more Ambition”. The Alliance has already passed in Paris in 2015 on “a strong agreement”, said Schulze. “And today, we re-send a clear Signal.” EU climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said that the findings of the 1.5-degree report of the IPCC demanded that the conference participants “spare no effort” for ambitious decisions in Katowice.

Schulze: “a Very, very long night”

The call was supported by the particularly strong from the climate change-threatened small island States and other developing countries. The state of the Negotiations Schulze said it will be “a very, very long night,” but she was “optimistic”.

With the submission of a final text of the draft in the night to Thursday, the conference President Michal Kurtyka had ushered in the final round. However, there were unresolved points of dispute. Out of concern before a Failure of the conference, traveled to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for the third Time since the start of the conference at the beginning of December to Katowice. He tried to support the negotiations with a series of bilateral talks.

The Maldivian delegation leader and Ex-President Mohammed Nasheed warned: “We will have to wait the luxury (to), we need to act now.” Among the sticking points in Katowice, the transparency rules in the so-called rule book. It’s about how the national climate of the individual country targets submitted in the future and checked. Also dealing with the damage and losses caused by climate change, in particular in the poorest countries is still highly controversial.

“the concerns of The poorest States were overrun in Katowice of the industrial countries and the oil-exporting countries”, criticized the climate expert, bread for the world, Sabine Minninger. “We tax unrestrained to a CO2-induced hot time, and yet this conference does nothing to change the collision course,” said the Executive Director of Greenpeace Germany Martin Kaiser. The FEDERAL climate change expert Ann-Kathrin Schneider criticized the negotiating texts as “discouraged”, they did not contain announcements for the improvement of national climate goals up to the year 2020.

The climate head of the WWF Germany, Michael Schaefer, accused the Federal government to act in the field of climate policy “schizophrenic”. While you do in Katowice “an excellent Job”, to push them to the home of the Coal phase-out and ambitious climate block in the EU’s protection measures, he told the AFP news Agency.

How in Katowice to an international climate-strike have joined in several German cities students. In Berlin, about 60 to 80 students gathered in front of the Bundestag.

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world climate conference in Katowice, Poland, “We will sink if nothing is done”

Nora Marie Zaremba

The conference in Katowice is an important stage in the international climate negotiations. Here the rule is scheduled to be completed book on the implementation of the Paris climate agreement. The next UN climate conference will take place at the end of next year in Chile, as in the evening, it was announced. The between negotiations Rica in Costa. (AFP)