Switzerland should join the G7 Climate Club to reduce CO2 emissions in industry, Swiss government spokesperson André Simonazzi announced.
Simonazzi explained that the government has issued a mandate that will allow Switzerland to join the Climate Club during the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference in Dubai on November 30. Swiss participation is possible as long as it has no financial consequences, Simonazzi specified.
The idea of the Climate Club originated from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during the German G7 presidency in 2022. The club is supposed to contribute to the achievement of the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The club was launched in December last year.
Three pillars of the club
According to a joint statement, the Climate Club will be based on three pillars: promoting ambitious and transparent climate action, jointly transforming industries to advance decarbonisation, and strengthening international efforts through partnerships and cooperation.
The last point is to safeguard companies from countries with ambitious climate targets, by avoiding unfair competition from those with low environmental standards.
In addition to the G7 states of Germany, France, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) Commission, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Indonesia, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore and Uruguay are also participating, according to a German government website.
As an intergovernmental forum, the Climate Club is to be open to all countries committed to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement.