German Development Minister Gerd Müller Plans to hold regular climate meeting in Bonn

Bonn · Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) has criticised the upcoming UN climate conference in Madrid as disproportionate. At the same time, Müller proposes regular meetings in Bonn - in a smaller format.

 The UN Climate Change Conference took place in Bonn in 2017. (Archive photo).

The UN Climate Change Conference took place in Bonn in 2017. (Archive photo).

Foto: Oliver Berg

German Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) has criticised the upcoming UN climate conference in Madrid as disproportionate. "We do not need a world climate conference of this dimension every year," Müller told the editorial network Germany. The scale of these conferences had "gone completely out of control", he said. "It is ineffective for up to 30,000 participants to fly around the globe for two weeks every year.

On a high-ranking political level, a two-year rotation would suffice, the CSU politician said. In between, the experts could meet once a year in a smaller format in Bonn. "That's why I halved the delegation from my ministry," said Müller, who demonstratively does not travel to Madrid himself. He sent to the conference only those experts "who are absolutely necessary in the negotiation rounds".

Müller warned against increasing migration movements as a result of global warming. "Climate change is leading to new hunger, hardship and misery in many parts of Africa - this is the basis for war and terror," he told the RND. Only very few "climate refugees" in Africa are currently on their way to Europe. But that could change over time.

"At the moment we expect about 20 million climate refugees in Africa", the CSU politician continued. "If global warming continues, experts estimate that it could already be 100 million in ten years' time. Then the "migration pressure to Europe will increase dramatically".

(AFP)

Original text: AFP

Translation: Mareike Graepel

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