UN General Assembly
2007

The scope of the need for action is becoming increasingly clear. We must at least halve global emissions by the middle of the century. For this we have a clear guiding principle: the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. Industrialized countries must embrace ambitious absolute reduction targets. During the German presidency the European Union adopted bold targets for 2020. All industrialized countries will have to drastically reduce their per capita emissions. Emerging economies will first of all have to decouple their economic growth from emissions. In the long term, per capita emissions in both industrialized countries and emerging economies will have to converge at a level compatible with our global climate protection target. Such a process of long-term convergence offers all countries scope to develop. It does not demand too much of anyone. There is no doubt in my mind that only a United Nations agreement can provide the dependability this will require. Climate protection will therefore be a litmus test of the international community’s ability to act effectively in the twenty-first century. For, on our own