The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the
2014 UN Climate Change Conference COP 20 in Lima, Peru (1-12
December 2014).
The resolution adopted in plenary was tabled by the
Committee on Environment, Public health and Food Safety.
According to the scientific evidence presented in the
2014 Working Group reports on the 5th Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warming of the
climate system is unequivocal. Global greenhouse gas emissions
over the period from 2000 to 2010 were the highest in human
history. Without significant global mitigation action to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, global average temperature is likely
to be as much as 5 °C higher by the end of the
century.
Urgent need to act:
Parliament recognises the extraordinary scale and seriousness of
the threats induced by climate change and expressed profound
concern about the continued weakness of the international response
to the challenge it poses. It called for the following
measures:
(1) by adopting, at the climate conference in Paris in
December 2015 (COP 21), an ambitious, legally binding
international agreement for post-2020 climate action which is
commensurate with the 2 °C objective, while respecting the
right to equitable and sustainable development. Parliament
underlined the need for an effective compliance regime applicable
to all Parties under the 2015 Agreement;
(2) urgent strengthening and broadening of the
measures in place to limit GHG emissions until 2020 and
beyond;
(3) scaling up of developed countries funding
for mitigation, adaptation, technology development and transfer
and capacity building in developing countries, in line with the
creation of the Green Climate Fund and the commitment to
provide new and additional such funding amounting to USD 100
billion per year by 2020, while increasing official development
aid in order to reach the long-since-pledged level of 0.7% of gross
national income.
Climate diplomacy:
Parliament expects the new Commission to assume a proactive role in
addressing the global climate crisis and therefore stressed the
importance of the EU as a major player, speaking with one
voice at the Conference in seeking progress towards an
international agreement and staying united in that
regard.
Ambitious objectives:
Parliament called for general reinvigoration of the EUs
climate policy and for rapid agreement on ambitious, binding
targets for emission reduction, energy efficiency and the use of
renewable energy sources, except socially and environmentally
harmful biofuels, by 2030, which would help build momentum in
international climate discussions and are in line with the
EUs commitment to reduce its GHG emissions to 80%-95%
below 1990 levels by 2050.
The resolution highlighted that Parliament has called
on the Commission and the Member States to set a binding EU 2030
target of reducing domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at
least 40% compared with 1990 levels, a binding EU 2030 energy
efficiency target of 40%, in line with research on cost-effective
energy saving potential, and a binding EU 2030 target of producing
at least 30% of total final energy consumption from renewable
energy sources. Member States are urged to take these targets into
account in their ongoing discussions.
Developing countries:
Parliament called on major developed economies to harness their
existing advanced infrastructure to promote, enhance and develop
sustainable growth and to commit to supporting developing countries
in building up their own capacity to ensure future economic growth
in all parts of the world is achieved at no further cost to the
environment.
Members recalled that developing countries, in
particular Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing
States, have contributed the least to the increasing concentration
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but are the most vulnerable
to the adverse effects of climate change and have the least
capacity to adapt. They called on all countries in a position to do
so to support those countries that are the most vulnerable
in their efforts to adapt and respond to the impacts of climate
change in order to achieve climate-resilient sustainable
development and to seek agreements on strengthening national
adaptation planning processes, climate financing, technology
transfer and capacity building.
Land sector, international aviation and maritime
transport: Parliament stressed the
importance for all Parties to include a land component in
their national contribution and called for the agreement to set out
a comprehensive accounting framework for emissions and removals
from land.
Members also reiterated the importance of maritime and
air transport in terms of GHG emission reductions, and the need
for swift progress and ambition in reaching satisfactory and
timely outcomes on the part of both the International Maritime
Organisation and the International Civil Aviation
Organisation.
Energy policy: Members
welcomed recent signals from the US and Chinese governments
regarding climate action and their willingness to play a more
significant role in global efforts to address climate
change.
Parliament called on the EU and its partners to find,
in the immediate future, the most effective way of promoting links
between the EU ETS and other trading schemes aiming for a global
carbon market. It called on the Commission and the Member
States to adopt without delay concrete measures for progressively
phasing out all environmentally harmful subsidies by 2020,
including subsidies on fossil fuels.
European Parliament delegation: Parliament considered it unacceptable that Members
of the European Parliament have been unable to attend the EU
coordination meetings at previous Conferences of the Parties. It
expects at least the Chair of the European Parliament delegation to
be allowed to attend EU coordination meetings in Lima.