BERLIN: The eighth edition of Petersberg dialogue on climate ended on Tuesday with a resolve by delegates that they would do their best for a breakthrough at negotiations for an accord on climate change slated for November in Germany.

A pall of uncertainty hung over the informal ministerial dialogue for two days despite a statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that she would pursue a “wise and patient course of action” in an attempt to persuade the “elephant in the room” to sit on the table and another by Catherine McKenna, Canada’s environment minister.

Ms Merkel has had several telephonic conversations since March with United States President Donald Trump, when he threatened to walk away from the Paris climate change accord to overturn the summit.

The uncertainty, to a large part, was due to an awaited “big decision” by President Trump as he is expected to make his position clear on the role US will play internationally in the two-day G7 summit beginning on Friday in Sicily.

Ms Merkel, speaking to 35 countries, said, it was quite clear that convincing political leadership was the key to reducing planet-warming emissions as was “leaving no one behind” as suggested by South African Environment Minister, Edna Molewa.

“Even if you don’t believe in climate change, you would do well to use energy and resources conservatively,” she said, referring to Mr Trump and climate deniers in his cabinet.

While Germany was trying hard with a “bilateral” approach on the sidelines of the dialogue “wanting to keep US on board”, Ms Hendricks was clear “it was not making any deals” with the US.

In the end it was the latter which had to decide “whether it had to be in it [Paris Agreement] of its own accord”.

OECD report

The launch of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) report was the highlight of the second day. The report “Investing in Climate, Investing in Growth” was termed a seminal work by Secretary General Angel Gurria.

“We know a lot more, we have more evidence...more climate change happening and a lot more policy, both good and bad. There’s more reference and more targets, he pointed out referring to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement,” he said at a press briefing.

Mr Gurria said the report was not just a diagnosis but a mirror to the G20 countries as well as the emerging economies for them to reflect over “what you see and whether you can do better” in effort to meet energy transition goals.

Therefore, he said there was an urgent need to invest in taking the development path of “green growth” and a greenhouse gas-neutral global economy. “The cost of inaction is going to be prohibitively high,” he warned.

Greenpeace activists had put an orange life jacket on a globe mascot outside the conference venue, as the ministers and diplomats made the right sounds about “big fat carbon tax, future technologies, e-cars and windmills”.

“Germany’s coal problem erases the achievements of the Energiewende and robs the government of any credibility in international climate negotiations,” read a leaflet distributed by climate activists.

Since 2010, the annual Petersberg dialogue has provided the opportunity for countries to engage in an informal exchange of experiences on international climate policy.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017