Germany launches new 'Climate Club' of nations at COP28 summit

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has formally launched a “Climate Club” of nations that he said want to collaborate on action against climate change on the sidelines of the COP28 conference in Dubai. Scholz said Friday that 36 countries have now joined the club, an idea that was first set in motion at a Group of Seven summit he hosted last year. It is co-chaired by Chile.

The chancellor said that the transition to a climate-neutral economy “will work only together, not against each other, and that is the fundamental idea behind this Climate Club” – even if countries are pursuing different paths. He said it includes many countries from the “Global South.”

It doesn’t yet include big emitters such as China and India, but Scholz said many countries have an interest in joining in. German officials stress that the club is meant as a complement to the U.N.-led effort against climate change, and not as something intended to distract from it.