Climate policies in the EU and USA: Different approaches, convergent outcomes?
This briefing surveys the climate policies of the European Union and the United States and identifies both similarities and differences in their respective positions ahead of the UN climate change conference (COP21) in Paris. Both the EU and the USA have achieved emission reductions in recent years, although the policy frameworks are rather different. The EU has a comprehensive legislative framework aiming to implement common targets agreed among its Member States. The USA has a diverse range of measures at city, state and federal level. As the US Congress has not passed major climate change legislation in the last ten years, federal rules are generally based on pre-existing legislation, notably the Clean Air Act. Although both the EU (and its Member States) and the USA are Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, only the EU has accepted binding commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, which the USA signed, but refused to ratify. The USA has recently entered into a series of bilateral engagements on climate change with major developing economies including China, India, Brazil and Indonesia. In view of the upcoming climate change conference in Paris, the EU would prefer to see binding mitigation commitments for all Parties, while the USA favours non-binding nationally determined contributions. Both the EU and the USA agree on the importance of transparency, reporting and verification, and advocate a mechanism for raising levels of the Parties' ambition over time.
Briefing
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Ámbito político
Palabra clave
- América
- Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático
- convención ONU
- cooperación internacional
- ENERGÍA
- energía blanda
- energía renovable
- Estados Unidos
- GEOGRAFÍA
- geografía económica
- geografía política
- MEDIO AMBIENTE
- organización de los transportes
- poder ejecutivo y administración pública
- política de cooperación
- política del medio ambiente
- política en materia de cambio climático
- política energética
- política internacional
- Protocolo de Kyoto
- reducción de las emisiones de gas
- RELACIONES INTERNACIONALES
- rendimiento energético
- transparencia administrativa
- transporte de energía
- transporte por tubería
- TRANSPORTES
- VIDA POLÍTICA