MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the outcome of the Copenhagen summit on climate change
2.2.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Corinne Lepage, Jens Rohde, Lena Ek, Chris Davies, Fiona Hall, Gerben‑Jan Gerbrandy on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0064/2010
B7‑0066/2010
European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the Copenhagen summit on climate change
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol thereto,
– having regard to the Bali Action Plan (Decision 1/COP 13),
– having regard to the recent COP 15 in Copenhagen,
– having regard to its resolution of 25 November 2009 on the EU strategy for the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change[1],
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the presence of more than 100 heads of state failed to secure agreement in Copenhagen,
B. whereas an ever-mounting body of scientific evidence points to the fact that climate change is happening faster than previously thought, and whereas recent findings have pushed more than 100 states to demand that we aim to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C above pre-Industrial Revolution temperatures rather than the previously generally accepted level of 2°C,
C. whereas the UN process in such a technical and politically sensitive field has so far been shown to be incapable of handling a global problem such as climate change, insofar as the requirement for consensus makes it impossible to reconcile the demands of developing nations with the willingness of developed nations,
D. whereas the EU should not allow its own commitment to climate change action to falter, even if some of our main negotiating partners continue to appear unwilling to curb their emissions trajectories or incapable of doing so,
E. whereas, while the UN process cannot be cast aside, the EU must, on the one hand, adjust its negotiating stance in view of the current situation, and, on the other, redefine its goals for the next UNFCCC meeting in Mexico,
1. Notes that the accord circulated at the end of the Copenhagen summit cannot be considered to have any legal status, since it was not endorsed and does not contain any binding commitments to reductions or indeed to meaningful verification, monitoring and reporting procedures;
2. Reiterates our commitment to reduce our emissions by 20% by 2020, which is already legally binding, and our desire to move to a 30% reduction even in the absence of a binding international agreement; notes also that the initiatives taken within the EU to promote and encourage the green economy will make it increasingly easy to fulfil a 30% reduction commitment;
3. Takes the view that there cannot be a binding international agreement unless the EU, the United States and China can agree on acceptable emission reduction targets coupled with mechanisms for the monitoring, verification and reporting of all such reductions. The immediate priority for the EU has to be to work towards such an accord in the coming months;
4. Is convinced that, since the UN has not yet delivered a workable solution to the global threat posed by climate change, the EU needs to move the negotiations into a parallel process involving the major emitters in order to complement the UN process and ensure a meaningful agreement in advance of the COP 16 meeting in Mexico;
5. Believes that the EU should immediately enter into negotiations with our US counterparts in order to ensure that the emerging carbon market in the US is compatible with our own, thereby creating a transatlantic carbon market as a precursor for a global one; takes the view, moreover, that we should strengthen our own carbon market by, for example, promoting investment in low-carbon technologies, tightening the cap and imposing a minimum carbon price;
6. Takes the view that the Mexico meeting will be a success only if there is broad agreement between the EU, US and China beforehand; considers, therefore, that bi- or tri-lateral negotiations with China should commence only once we have reached a comprehensive deal with the US on curbing carbon emissions;
7. Believes also that agreement in Mexico will be feasible only if the major emitters can reach a pre-November agreement; is of the view that the Major Economies Forum would be an ideal setting for such negotiations, since it represents the most significant carbon producers;
8. Regrets China’s refusal to accept the setting of long-term emission reduction targets, even for developed countries; calls on China in particular to recognise its responsibilities to developing nations, since it is they that are expected to experience the most serious consequences of climate change;
9. Stresses that the EU has to speak as a united bloc at all future UN climate change meetings (as we do within the World Trade Organisation), rather than allowing various national positions to be aired during the negotiations;
10. Notes the importance of investment in new green technologies, particularly in these recessionary times; is also of the view that energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon capture and storage can play a very significant role in reducing carbon emissions;
11. Calls on the Commission to ensure that our contributions to the newly created Copenhagen Green Climate Fund are additional to other development aid, and to put forward proposals concerning the sources of our contributions and the criteria it would like to see applied to any projects to be financed by this fund;
12. Points to the growing public awareness of the impact of climate change in the developing world, but also within rapidly emerging economies such as China; calls for enhanced dialogue, in particular with the least developed countries, small island developing states and Africa, on the way to a binding international agreement on climate change in order to reduce the impact and foreseeable consequences of climate change on demographics, public health, migration and the economy in those regions;
13. Calls on the Commission President, given that this is a key policy field for the new Commission, to ensure that the new Commissioner for Climate Action has all the necessary resources, particularly in terms of staff and budget, to allow her to push the climate change agenda globally;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the United States, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, and the United Nations.
- [1] Texts adopted of that date, P7_TA(2009)0089.