"Opportunities for and barriers to German-French contributions to the Climate Conference in Paris" was the topic of a panel discussion on 16 October 2015. The German-French association Gerhard Kiersch Verein / AGKV organized the event. The discussion addressed the question of how Germany and France could contribute to the success of the global climate conference and which obstacles still need to be overcome.

The evening featured Jean-Claude Perraudin (Embassy of France), Oliver Krischer (Member of Parliament, Bündnis90/Die Grünen), Arnulf Nöding (AREVA) and Dr. Camilla Bausch (Ecologic Institute).

The panel discussed what a success in Paris would actually look like. The panelists agreed that the conference, while an important next step, will certainly not solve the climate problem.

Perraudin emphasized the significance of the summit – the largest ever held in Paris – to France as a nation. At the same time, Nöding underscored the fact that industry has underestimated the dynamic and opportunities within the sector of renewable energies in the past and the current necessity of keeping pace with new developments. When asked about the potentials of market-based instruments, Bausch referred to the challenges of such approaches as reflected in shortcomings of the European emissions trading scheme or the project-based mechanism of JI (joint implementation) and CDM (clean development mechanism) under the UN regime. Krischer emphasized the urgency of phasing out coal power generation.

The event took place on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the AGKV.