Exchanging views with members of the Parliament´s Transport Committee on 10 November, Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said greenhouse gas emissions from ships have outpaced the total emissions cuts achieved by the EU in other sectors...

On 5 December 2011, GLOBE International launched the 2nd GLOBE Climate Legislation Study in Durban.  The study shows that 10 of the 17 study countries have made significant advances in 2011, including Australia, Brazil, China, EU, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and the UK.  This progress is despite the challenging economic backdrop and demonstrates that countries are no longer seeing tackling climate change as sharing a global burden, with governments naturally trying to minimise their share, but they are seeing climate change legislation as firmly in the national interest.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres stated: “Despite the slow pace of the UNFCCC negotiations and a challenging economic backdrop, domestic legislation on climate change is now marching forward at a ‘game changing’ rate.  The shape of the debate is transforming from that of sharing a global burden – with governments naturally trying to minimise their share – to one of a realisation that acting on climate change is in the national interest".

The study was subsequently presented to an audience of legislators from South Africa, Mexico, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and China at the EU Pavilion on 7th December.

Please find the study here.