12 Amendments of Maria HEUBUCH related to 2015/2137(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the EU is responsible for some of the loss and degradation of biodiversity beyond its borders, notably due to its unsustainable consumption patterns, and that making the EU’'s economy more resource- efficient is imperative also for this reason; urges the EU to better anchor its international biodiversity commitments to its climate change and Europe 2020 strategy; stresses that a more resource efficient economy and a reduction of overconsumption can enable the EU to reduce its dependence on natural resources, in particular from outside Europe; recalls equally that ecosystem- based approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation can offer cost- effective alternatives to technological solutions, while progress in many applied sciences depends on the long-term availability and diversity of natural assets;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls for the removal of environmentally harmful subsidies, in line with the 2020 Strategy and the Aichi biodiversity target 3;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Deplores that actions taken by the EU to reverse biodiversity loss remains outweighed by continued and growing pressures on Europe's biodiversity, such as land-use change, pollution and climate change; recalls that biodiversity loss is costly for society as a whole, particularly for economic actors in sectors that depend directly on ecosystem services, such as farmers; calls on the EU to mainstream biodiversity across sectors in the economy and to enable synergies in the implementation of the various international multilateral environmental agreements;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Takes the view that the economic value of biodiversity should be reflected in indicators guiding decision-making (without leading to the commodification of biodiversity), and going beyond GDP; is convinced that this will benefit the pursuit of the SDGs; on this line, calls for the systematic integration of biodiversity values into national accounting system as part of the SDGs monitoring process;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that maintaining climate change well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels will be essential to prevent biodiversity loss; in contrast, recalls that a range of ecosystems act as buffer against natural hazards, thereby contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. NRecalls that forests are home to around 90% of terrestrial biodiversity, while more than one billion people depend on them for their livelihoods; notes with concern that rising EU demand for woody biomass risks threatening biodiversity and forest ecosystems on which poor people in developing countries depend for their livelihood; fears that EU import dependency may spark widespread deforestation in developing countries, trigger off illegal logging and weaken Voluntary Partnership Agreements under Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT); reminds that an increased use of biomass could lead to an intensification of forestry practises and a reduction of the forest carbon stocks, thus jeopardising the EU objective of limiting climate temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius; calls for the EU to develop an EU action plan on deforestation and forest degradation which is applicable at the global level;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the current absence of social and environmental sustainability criteria for biomass production within the framework of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED); under those circumstances, deems that bioenergy could play a negative role in the fight against climate change and become a major additional driver of land grabs, food insecurity, deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries; deems it crucial to develop international, legally binding sustainability standards for all sectors of biomass use, together with binding sustainable forest management criteria;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the expansion of agrofuels has relied overwhelmingly on the expansion of large-scale industrial monoculture, thereby extending agricultural practices that are harmful for the environment, biodiversity, soil fertility and water availability; urges the Commission to review the EU’'s policy on biofuels so as to ensure coherence with the commitments the EU has entered into under the Convention on Biological Diversity, with climate policy and commitments (including those entered into at COP 21), and with the objectives of the UN-REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programme; in particular, calls on the EU to amend the REDD to upgrade its sustainability and certification criteria regarding biofuels, to apply strict monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to guarantee that these criteria are met, to put an end to financial incentives for industrial biofuels and to waive the binding 10% EU target for renewable energy in transport;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need to protect agricultural biodiversity in developing countries in order to achieve food security; calls therefore on the Commission to invest in agro-ecology in developing countries, in line with the recommendations of the UN Special rapporteur on the right to food; recalls that farmers’' right to produce, exchange and sell seeds freely underpins 90 % of agricultural livelihoods on the African continent, and that seed diversity is vital in building the resilience of African farming to climate change;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. UNotes that EU development assistance and trade agreements concluded between the EU and African countries are influencing African seed law reform by including provisions on intellectual property protection, that seek to facilitate cross-border trade in seeds and protect commercial seed varieties; urges the Commission to ensure that the EU’'s commitments to farmers’' rights in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture are reflected in all technical assistance and financial support for seed policy development; calls for the EU, in line with the EU food security policy framework, also to support intellectual property rights regimes that enhance the development of locally adapted seed varieties and farmer- saved seeds;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that trade agreements, land grabbing, monoculture, meat overconsumption and industrial livestock farming are exerting growing pressure on climate change and biodiversity worldwide, as they result in ongoing rise of CO2, land fragmentation and loss of habitats;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for the EU to reduce its biodiversity footprint worldwide and to bring it within the ecological limits of ecosystems by making its trade and other relevant policies consistent with its commitments on biodiversity protection, and to assist developing countries in their efforts to conserve biodiversity and ensure its sustainable use;