G8 Climate Battle

DW-WORLD.DE: What concretely is Germany looking for from the US at the G8 summit?

Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf: Germany isn't looking for anything on its own, but rather as the chair of EU Council and president of the EU. Germany wants the environmental goals that the EU has set itself implemented internationally. Concretely this means reducing emissions by 20 to 30 percent of the 1990 levels by the year 2020 and then a further reduction in CO2 emissions of 60 to 80 percent by 2050.

Why has the Bush administration been so reluctant to reach binding climate agreements? Is it just to protect the interests of American petroleum companies?

The policy of Bush's government hasn't changed since he took office. In 2000, the Bush administration took a reluctant position toward the Kyoto Protocol and especially toward the idea of accepting concrete targets for reducing admissions. There are various reasons for this. You mentioned one of them, but it's difficult to get an overview, and I'm not in a position to say. But in general, the US is very skittish when it comes to accepting international legal obligations. That's true not only concerning Kyoto, but also of the American stance toward human rights or the issue of Iraq in the UN Security Council. There's a general reluctance in the Bush administration to let the government's action be constrained by international law.

Ahead of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German Enviromental Minister Sigmar Gabriel have also been talking with other US politicians, chiefly the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Is that a realistic option?

I think it's a very important strategy, if you look forward to what could happen in the US in 2009 after the presidential election. If you believe the public-opinion polls the Republicans are in a slump, and there's a desire in the US for a change of government. So it's very important to meet with representatives of the people who have a very good chance of being elected in 2008. Until the election, nothing much will change on the national level in the US. But on the individual state level a lot is changing at the moment. That's important because American environmental policy isn't just made on the national level. It also happens at the state, regional and local levels. So it's important to have a many-pronged strategy.

Is it possible to negotiate an agreement in advance with politicians who may assume control after 2008?

In terms of international law, that would be impossible. The national government is responsible for negotiating agreements, which then have to be approved by Congress. You might be able to get a majority in Congress, but even there I'm sceptical. But the actual negotiations have to be done by the Bush administration, and I don't expect any great changes between now and the end of next year. Maybe we can take some small steps, but the question remains what Bush wants to achieve with his second term in office.

What do you expect personally form the G8 summit? Will there just be more talk, or will something substantial emerge?

I'm not directly involved in the negotiations so I don't know. Most of the deals will be reached in advance, and what's coming out in the German media makes me skeptical. I don't think we will see concrete reduction goals or a binding statement coming out of Heiligendamm -- at least not in the form of a declaration signed by all eight countries. But what could happen is that we got a positive input in line with previous agreements like Kyoto. For instance, we need a mandate to negotiate a second phase of Kyoto, and there could be positive language for that coming out of Heiligendamm.

Jefferson Chase interviewed Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf