Environment Council meets for last time before Copenhagen
Council
Wednesday, 25 November 2009 09:49
EU environment Ministers met yesterday (23 November), to outline the EU position ahead of the Copenhagen negotiations which begin at the beginning of next month. They met at an extra environment Council which had been specifically organised in advance of the COP-15, with UNFCCC (United Nations Framework for a Convention on Climate Change) chief Yvo de Boer, also attending and speaking.
According to Swedish environment Minister Andres Carlgren, who was presiding over the meeting, the ‘EU is moving closer to 30% emission reductions’, although it was not made clear when this target would be adopted, whilst a long term target of reducing emissions by 80-95% by 2050 was also agreed.
Given that the 30% reduction target had originally been made conditional on other countries making similar commitments, it was not immediately clear whether pledges such as that of the US, who have targeted reducing emissions by 17-25% below 2005 levels, could be considered comparable commitments.
Both environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and UNFCCC chief Mr de Boer, were very supportive of the proposed 30% target. Mr Dimas has praised the target, saying ‘Thirty per cent would be better in our negotiations because we would apply pressure by example’, whilst Mr de Boer called it a ‘very ambitious goal’.
Since there remains confusion over what the conditions are for the EU raising their emission reduction targets and also exactly what sort of financial assistance they would be prepared to offer developing countries (both in the short and longer term), Mr de Boer called on the EU to resolve these issues and clarify the situation. He also pressured the EU to clarify the role of emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) in the 30% goal.
Greenpeace welcomed the apparent renewed enthusiasm over the 30% target, but warned that if the EU wished to continue to lead by example, greater emission reductions would ultimately have to be made. EU climate policy director at Greenpeace, Joris den Blanken, said ‘Millions of people, climate scientists and all developing countries around the world are calling for at least 40% emission reductions in Copenhagen’, and that ‘The world is a very different place from when the EU first proposed its climate targets. With a myriad of loopholes and reductions stemming from the economic slowdown, a 20% cut has become nothing more than business as usual’.
However Mr Carlgren was in a confident mood after the meeting, saying ‘The EU is united and well prepared to make Copenhagen a success’, and urged ‘All parties must present sufficient offers on emissions reductions and financing. This applies to both industrialised countries such as the USA and rapidly growing economies such as China’. Whether the EU’s confidence is well placed ahead of the Copenhagen summit will be revealed in a matter of weeks, with the UN climate conference taking place between 7-18 December.
According to Swedish environment Minister Andres Carlgren, who was presiding over the meeting, the ‘EU is moving closer to 30% emission reductions’, although it was not made clear when this target would be adopted, whilst a long term target of reducing emissions by 80-95% by 2050 was also agreed.
Given that the 30% reduction target had originally been made conditional on other countries making similar commitments, it was not immediately clear whether pledges such as that of the US, who have targeted reducing emissions by 17-25% below 2005 levels, could be considered comparable commitments.
Both environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and UNFCCC chief Mr de Boer, were very supportive of the proposed 30% target. Mr Dimas has praised the target, saying ‘Thirty per cent would be better in our negotiations because we would apply pressure by example’, whilst Mr de Boer called it a ‘very ambitious goal’.
Since there remains confusion over what the conditions are for the EU raising their emission reduction targets and also exactly what sort of financial assistance they would be prepared to offer developing countries (both in the short and longer term), Mr de Boer called on the EU to resolve these issues and clarify the situation. He also pressured the EU to clarify the role of emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) in the 30% goal.
Greenpeace welcomed the apparent renewed enthusiasm over the 30% target, but warned that if the EU wished to continue to lead by example, greater emission reductions would ultimately have to be made. EU climate policy director at Greenpeace, Joris den Blanken, said ‘Millions of people, climate scientists and all developing countries around the world are calling for at least 40% emission reductions in Copenhagen’, and that ‘The world is a very different place from when the EU first proposed its climate targets. With a myriad of loopholes and reductions stemming from the economic slowdown, a 20% cut has become nothing more than business as usual’.
However Mr Carlgren was in a confident mood after the meeting, saying ‘The EU is united and well prepared to make Copenhagen a success’, and urged ‘All parties must present sufficient offers on emissions reductions and financing. This applies to both industrialised countries such as the USA and rapidly growing economies such as China’. Whether the EU’s confidence is well placed ahead of the Copenhagen summit will be revealed in a matter of weeks, with the UN climate conference taking place between 7-18 December.
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