German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a global 'renewable energy' target to significantly reduce emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).

Speaking at the 14th Petersberg Climate Dialogue meeting, Baerbock said all countries must step up their efforts to meet commitments under the 2015 Paris climate accord. "With the climate crisis, we face the greatest security challenge of our century. Everyone gathered here today can do their part to help contain the climate crisis. Because, and this is the good news from the latest IPCC report: We have the political instruments, we have the financial means and we have the technical solutions to contain this crisis", she sayd.

Baerbock added that, in order to achieve the decarbonisation goals, special efforts are needed in the energy sector. "My country, Germany, has committed itself to obtaining 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. But we don't have a panacea here either. We have been dependent on Russian gas for too long. We should have phased out coal earlier and we could have built more wind and solar power plants", explained.

Wir brauchen eine drastische Reduzierung von weltweiten Emissionen und ein globales, verpflichtendes Ziel für den Ausbau der #Erneuerbaren Energien. Unser Anspruch muss es sein, das Ende des fossilen Zeitalters einzuläuten. 2/2

— Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock (@ABaerbock) May 2, 2023

Baerbock therefore pledged to ensure that a global target for renewables and energy efficiency is also agreed. "Yes, this is something new," he said. But she also said that with the right measures the country and the rest of the world could learn from past mistakes and curb the climate crisis.