44 Amendments of Anders WIJKMAN related to 2008/2015(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Is deeply concerned about the fact that many recent scientific reports indicate that climate change is both more rapid and serious in terms of its adverse effects than previously thought; therefore calls on the Commission and the Council to analyse as a matter of urgency the question whether the overall target fixed hitherto for European climate policy, namely to stay below a 2°C increase, is cautious enough to meet the UNFCC objective of preventing anthropogenic interference with the climate system;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that human society is facing a dual challenge as regards the earth's life- supporting system: climate change and the overuse and destruction of many of the most important ecosystems; stresses the many interlinkages between the climate system and ecosystems – in particular the capacity of oceans and terrestrial ecosystems to sequester carbon – and underlines that climate change can only be addressed effectively within the context of healthy ecosystems;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls in particular the essential objectives in combating climate change and stresses the importance of setting a clear medium-term target for industrialised countries of a 205%-340% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, as agreed in Bali, and a long-term reduction target of 50%- 80% by 205at least 80%-95% by 2050, compared to 1990, in order to achieve a 50% probability of restricting the increase in average global temperature to 2°C over pre-industrial levels;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that a nation's impact on the climate is not limited to its physical emissions; urges the EU to take urgent steps at home and in the context of international negotiations to develop accounting principles that also include the full effects of consumption, including the effects of international aviation;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that nearly half of the world’s population is under the age of 25 and that today’s decisions on climate policy will have far-reaching consequences for the largest generation of young people in human history; calls specifically on planners and designers to integrate children’s specific needs into housing, transport, schools, health and other infrastructure in the context of climate change;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to incorporate the requirements of emission reductions, and measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change, into development aid programmes, and/or to refer to these requirements in the decision-making processes of international development aid agencies, thus involving the private sector and public authorities and non- governmental organisations in the countries or regions concerned by way of partnerships;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that the bulk of mitigation and adaptation costs in developing countries should not be met by official development aid, which is intended to enable partner countries to meet country- led priorities and already agreed international development goals, but that additional resources need to be mobilised to help developing countries to tackle the climate change challenges;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Welcomes the EU's launching of a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) to support adaptation to climate change in developing countries; recognises that the EUR 60 million allocated by the Commission is woefully inadequate; calls on Member States to assume greater responsibility for financing and aligning their development activities with the GCCA; further calls on the Commission and Member States to urgently provide additional, innovative sources of finance;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EU and its Member States to enter intostrengthen their existing climate partnerships with target countries which permit it to overcome barriers to successful technology transfer and to devise solutions tailored to take account of issues concerning the protection of intellectual property, the state of technological development, institutional stability and available human and financial resources in the target countrydeveloping countries and emerging economies, and to enter into new partnerships where these do not currently exist, providing significantly increased financial support for technology development and transfer, protection of intellectual property and institutional capacity-building;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers that any future low-carbon energy policy must also investigatethat envisages the possible contribution of nuclear power to the energy mix of the future, focusing on should focus not only on the possible reduction in carbon dioxide emissions but also on the investment required, the security of uraniumlimited global stocks of uranium and the security of its supply, the operation of the plants, technological and international safety issues and also the unresolved question of the disposal of waste, in comparison to renewable energy sources;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Considers that research into the technological feasibility of nuclear fusion in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is the first step towards the objective of commercial utilisation of this form of energy, and stresses that the achievement of this goal is highly dependent on long-term guarantees of funding for this research and that possibilities for expanding the available resources in order to speed up the project should be investigated;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes that thecertain production of biofuels is partly to blame for increased food prices, but that abandoning biofuels can resolve neither the problem of hunger in the world nor the issue of climate-compatible mobilitcan have a negative impact on food prices, but notes at the same time that biofuels can be produced responsibly;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Suggests that the Commission rethink the notion of a fixed quota for biofuels and instead develop flexible scenariopolicies which better take account not only of the growing worldwide need for agricultural land for food and feedstuffs but also of the question of the need to import biofuels into the EU, with a view to meeting the requireof the complex nature of biofuels production, including life- cycle GHG emissions and assessments of individual mobility and goods transport in futurerect effects;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up research and development of second-generationadvanced biofuels, to supply them with the necessary funding and to link them to fixed development goals for the cultivation and use of biomassbioenergy production;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to use the experience gained from the development of sustainability criteria within the EU to actively promote the development of a global biofuels standard;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission to reconsider the non-binding nature of the 20% goal for energy efficiency by 2020 and if necessary to propose to the Council that this target be made bindingand the Member States to agree on a binding energy efficiency target for 2020 of at least 20%;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. ProposesCalls on ECOFIN to introduce reduced VAT for energy-saving goods and services; proposes, in particular, that the Member States create incentives to modernisation by means of VAT reductions on modernisation work and the equipment used to carry this out, by gearing land or property taxation to the energy efficiency of buildings and by creafully implementing and promoting energy efficieperformancye certificateions;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Notes, given the long life of buildings, the paramount importance of ensuring that new buildings are constructed to the highest energy- efficiency standards possible, that existing buildings are upgraded to contemporary standards, and that minimum levels of energy from renewable sources are used in all new or refurbished buildings requiring heating and cooling;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Calls for minimum EU energy efficiency standards for new and refurbished buildings; calls on the relevant local authorities and professional associations in the Member States to establish the criterion of energy efficiency for new buildings as a leitmotiv forwork with architects and building engineers, wit to establish building regulations for the energy efficiency of new buildings as a possible first step in this directionand best practice for different types of buildings, in order to maximise energy efficiency in new and refurbished buildings;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39a (new)
Paragraph 39a (new)
39a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide active support for research and technological development relating to lighting technologies and intelligent lighting applications, so that the introduction of more energy-efficient lighting in both indoor and outdoor public spaces – with an emphasis on highly efficient light- emitting diodes (LEDs) – can be more vigorously promoted;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Urges early and rigorous implementation of the 2006 requirements relating to the installation of smart meters in order to raise consumer awareness of electricity use and help electricity suppliers manage demand more effectively;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to attach the highest priority to energy efficiency and renewables in the context of development cooperation;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 95
Paragraph 95
95. Calls on the Member States to establish a policy of soil protection by appropriate soil treatment methods, taking account of the importance of organic materials in the soil for its fertility, water retention capacity and ability to function as a carbon sink; stresses that the production of and mixing of bio-char in the soil represents a promising method of taking carbon out of the atmosphere and recommends that policies to encourage such practices should be promoted;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 98
Paragraph 98
98. ConsiderStresses that integrated water management should comprise strategies for the rationalisation and limitation of water consumption, and should respond to issues concerning the collection and storage of rainwater in natural and artificial reservoirs, as well as to those relating to the risk and impact of drought; urges the Commission to enforce the implementation of water pricing policies in the Water Framework Directive; emphasises that the true cost of water should cover not only the financial costs but also the environmental and resource costs;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 129
Paragraph 129
129. Calls on the EU and its Member States to promote the testing, validation, introduction and further dissemination of computer- and ICT-based methods to improve energy efficiency – particularlyfor dematerialization and vastly enhanced energy efficiency – particularly through improved logistics in freight transport, replacing physical travel with tele- and videoconferencing, improved electricity networks, energy- efficient buildings and smart lightning – in cooperation with industry, consumers, authorities, universities and research institutions;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 129 a (new) (After the subheading 'Financing and budgetary matters')
Paragraph 129 a (new) (After the subheading 'Financing and budgetary matters')
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133
Paragraph 133
133. Urges, in its capacity as an arm of the budgetary authority together with the Council, that the highest priority be given to climate change and measures to combat it in the next financial perspective, including a higher degree of flexibility, in order to enable rapid mobilisation of resources in the face of climate-related disasters and unforeseen challenges; in this context calls on new funding to be made available through different budget lines, such as humanitarian funds in response to climate-related catastrophes, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) funds and the Instrument for Stability in the context of preventive security policy or in response to climate-related security threats or conflicts, and other external action funds when appropriate;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 a (new)
Paragraph 133 a (new)
133a. Calls on the Commission and Member States urgently to adopt new, innovative finance mechanisms to aid the rapid implementation of both domestic and external climate policies, including earmarking of auctioning revenues from the EU ETS and the joint Commission/World Bank proposal of a Global Climate Finance Mechanism, based on the principle of frontloading aid;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 147 a (new)
Paragraph 147 a (new)
147a. Recognises that we may be in a situation where the concentration of GHG in the atmosphere is already too high, thus obliging mankind to do its utmost to remove carbon from the atmosphere through actions by sequestering CO2 from biomass, including the use of biochar;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the leading role of the European Union in the international fight against global warming, which and its particular responsibility as a union of developed countries contributes to its sense of identity, and impliesy an obligation to the citizens of Europe not only to formulate medium- and long-term climate objectives, but to achieve these objectives through forward- looking political measures, as well as through political dialogue with developing countries,
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas measures aimed at greenhouse gas reductions in production, land use and waste management are of the highest priority, and whereas the crucial importance of consumption patterns and lifestyles must also be recognised; whereas engaging individual citizens directly in the battle against climate change through a system of personal carbon trading offers interesting opportunities,
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas industrialised countries have a historical responsibility for climate change and are morally obliged to assist developing countries in their adaptation efforts; whereas the available funding for adaptation measures in developing countries is quite inadequate and should be substantially increased,;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
Oa. whereas there is currently a huge gap as regards the financing of adaptation in developing countries; whereas while estimated annual adaptation costs range from USD 50-80 billion per annum, the total amount of funds committed through multilateral funding mechanisms in mid- 2007 amounted to less than 0.5 % of those figures,
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)
Recital R a (new)
Ra. whereas the EU's carbon footprint includes the greenhouse gases emitted in the production of goods consumed in Europe but produced elsewhere,
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T
Recital T
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Z
Recital Z
Z. whereas current policy on biofuels has resulted in a conflict of objectives markedmust be seen in a global perspective, where on the one hand by athere is growing scarcity of food and rising food pricescompetition for productive land and on the other bythere is an increasing energy needs and the search for alternative fuels, ed for renewable energy, in particular in the transport sector,
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AC
Recital AC
AC. whereas a sustainable biofuels policy should be geared not only to settset binding sustainability criteria for the manufacture of first-generation biofuels but also tobiofuels that promotinge the ideology-free development of second-generation biofuelsbiofuels with high greenhouse gas savings, without adverse effects on biodiversity, food production and equity,
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AD
Recital AD
AD. whereas the petroleum industry will only put in place the necessary comprehensive infrastructure for new fuels when there is a sufficient demand for biofuels, but whereas the motor industry has made technological advances permitting any mixture of petrol and biofuels to be detected by a sensor in the vehicle, a device which will also enable older vehicles to run on biofuels, thus achieving CO2 emissions reductions over the whole range of existing vehicleinfrastructure for new fuels is little developed, but whereas the motor industry has made technological advances permitting engines to be run on high proportions of biofuels,
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AD a (new)
Recital AD a (new)
ADa. whereas the potential of biofuels can only be realised if they are seen as a component in the development of sustainable transport systems, including the development and use of highly fuel- efficient vehicles,
Amendment 454 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AE a (new)
Recital AE a (new)
AEa. whereas several Member States do not have a clear strategy for energy efficiency,
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)
Recital AF a (new)
AFa. whereas energy efficiency measures would lead to an expansion of the economic sectors involved, leading to the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs, e.g. in the building industry,
Amendment 506 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital BO
Recital BO
BO. whereas the most serious problem underlying forest destruction lies in related socio-economic factors such as poverty and under-development, weak political institutions and absence of the rule of law, as well as unjust property ownership conditions and corruption which can, amongst other consequences, lead to the illegal logging and clearing of forests,