German Development Minister Gerd Müller announced that Germany is to help 60 million small farmers to become climate-proof by 2030. He made this statement on the occasion of a meeting of the Global Adaptation Commission, to which he invited international leaders on 21 May in Bonn, Germany. The meeting was chaired by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank General Manager Kristalina Georgieva.
The meeting centred around the measures that are needed to prepare for the consequences of climate change which are already being experienced. Even with the achievement of the global 2-degree target, climate-related disasters are already today a reality and will intensify in the future. Especially in developing countries, adaptation to climate change becomes more urgent. “Climate change has long been a life-threatening reality for many people, and developing countries bear the brunt – even though they have least contributed. This is why we support farmers, especially those from sub-Saharan Africa, with, for example, drought-resistant seeds And we are expanding our commitment to micro-insurance to protect farmers in developing countries better against crop losses. The projects launched by BMZ in 2017 will save more than 230 million tonnes of CO2, twice the amount of CO2 emissions from Nigeria. In the area of adaptation alone, our new commitments from 2017 will benefit some 26 million people,” Minister Müller is quoted from a BMZ press release.
Climate protection and adaptation to climate change are priority areas of the German development cooperation. In 2017 alone, the Federal Government has committed 3.65 billion euros in international climate finance from budget funds. Significantly, more than 80 percent of the German funds for international climate finance comes from the budget of the BMZ.
Ban Ki-moon, Chair of the Global Commission and the Global Center for Adaptation to Climate Change, said: “We must not waste time. The decisions we make today have lasting effects, and if we set the right course now, we will be on track in the future. The actions we are planning today will save us money and save lives. We will have the opportunity to create prospects, additional jobs, economic growth and more prosperity – but only if we act now.”
Kristalina Georgieva, co-chair of the Global Commission on Adaptation to Climate Change and Managing Director of the World Bank: “Already millions of people are threatened by the climate crisis, and most at risk are the poorest who have least contributed to the causes of the problem. Measures are being taken to help people cope with hotter summers, severe droughts and devastating storms. Our Commission can relay findings and serve as a conduit for new ideas on how to support the world’s most vulnerable people who have to adapt to climate change.”
Prior to the UN Climate Change Summit in New York in September, the Global Adaptation Commission will publish a report highlighting the most urgent need for action in specific areas, including food security, infrastructure, finance, urban resilience and nature-based solutions.
