Presidente. – Segue-se o debate sobre a declaração da Comissão sobre a preparação da Cimeira sobre a ação Climática e os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável das Nações Unidas em Nova Iorque (2019/2809(RSP)).
Miguel Arias Cañete,Member of the Commission. – Mr President, it is a pleasure to be here this morning as we prepare for the forthcoming Climate Action and Sustainable Development Goals Summits in New York.
Regarding the Climate Action Summit, the Commission adopted on 11 September a Communication to the European Parliament and the Council in preparation for the Summit, to present the European Union’s impressive track record on climate policy and our commitment to accelerated climate ambition. The high attendance of European Union leaders at the Summit – including the President of the European Council Donald Tusk – will enable the European Union to recall and explain comprehensively and coherently where Europe stands today and where it wants to go. The European story is one of ambition, real action, unity and determination, and yet one that recognises the richness of approaches applied by the individual Member States and adds value to them.
The European Union narrative for the Summit will build on the following elements. First, the solid progress made on the preparation and finalisation of our long-term strategy for climate neutrality by 2050. Second, the over-delivery of our nationally determined contribution (NDC) through a comprehensive body of detailed laws and measures. And third, the planning and organisation to monitor and review the actual implementation and the continuing adequacy of our goals and targets.
Last June a large majority of European leaders supported the Commission proposals to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 – a project that means radical transformation of our economy and our society. This is exceptional progress, considering the scale of the challenge.
The European Union has been increasing its climate ambition since 1990 and will continue to do so. The European Union reduced its emissions by 22% between 1990 and 2017, while our GDP grew by 58%. Full implementation of our new 2030 legislation, adopted with very large support in Parliament and the Council, would yield another 23% reduction between 2018 and 2030: twice as fast. The adoption of a 2050 objective, together with the governance mechanisms that we have put in place, will ensure that we will continue this acceleration, on a fast track but in a gradual and manageable manner, towards climate neutrality.
When fully implemented, we estimate that the measures for 2030 will enable the European Union to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% compared to 1990 levels, which goes further than the European Union’s stated objective in its nationally determined contribution, to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030.
Delivering on the 2030 targets will have benefits well beyond 2030. It will ensure the European Union is also going in the right direction towards 2050.
At the same time, the European Union is already using its budget to ensure that investments are aligned and actively contributing to the climate goals – we have a 20% climate mainstreaming target in the current European Union budget, amounting to around EUR 200 billion of funds over the 2014-2020 period to support the low carbon transition.
In the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027 that is being discussed in Parliament and in the Council, the Commission has proposed that 25% of the whole budget, or an expected EUR 320 billion, will be specifically climate-relevant, and the rest will be compatible with our climate objectives.
The climate and energy transition towards climate neutrality begins with a massive investment challenge, one that we must meet already in the coming years: investment in a clean energy system; in clean industry and clean mobility; in maintaining and restoring our land, to make sure that it not only continues to provide us with food, feed and fibres, but also helps us absorb the greenhouse gas emissions we will not be able to eliminate.
We know, of course, that the scale of this investment is beyond the capacity of the public sector alone, and that the private sector will have a major role to play. To attract enough private investment, the European Union is already putting in place the conditions and incentives for investors to fund projects aligned with the climate goals, such as the European Union Action Plan on financing sustainable growth and the associated legislative package.
We must focus on adaptation and resilience as well, and on disaster risk reduction, both in Europe and elsewhere. To do this, we will be able to build on the work done under the European Union’s Adaptation Strategy and on our international cooperation efforts in supporting our partner countries.
To this end, the European Union is stepping up its outreach and cooperation, financial and technical, to all partner countries. Nationally determined contributions will be at the core of our support, especially in critical sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency, urban development or agriculture and forests.
Not only is the European Union the world’s leading donor of development assistance with EUR 74.4 billion in 2018, it is also the world’s largest climate finance donor, providing over 40% of the world’s public climate finance. The European Union and its Member States’ contributions have more than doubled since 2013, exceeding EUR 20 billion annually.
The European Union remains fully committed to continuing to scale up the mobilisation of international climate finance, including through enhanced ambition by its investment facilities and the European Investment Bank. Likewise, the European Union’s array of legally binding trade and cooperation agreements will continue to include robust provisions to promote climate action and implement the Paris Agreement.
The rapidly changing climate is a global problem and it calls for global responsibility. We in Europe are doing our part. We have acted and we continue to act, but to meet our long-term temperature goals we know we must do more and act faster still. On all this, we have a strong message to communicate at the Summit.
We also know that the task does not end here. No matter how much we have done so far, and how much we have strengthened our ambition and speeded up our efforts in these past few years – the years in which I have had the honour of being in charge of climate action and energy policy, and therefore part of this effort – the Summit in New York can only conclude that more is needed.
Europe will answer this call to action. Following the elections to the European Parliament and the political guidelines of the President-elect, it is very clear that the European Union will continue to work to raise its ambition further – as always, ‘in a responsible way’ – but with undiminished determination.
My expectation is that we will continue to take further bold actions, building on our solid and significant achievements so far, and that we will develop, in a not too distant future, the model for a climate-neutral, modern, competitive and prosperous European economy and society. This must also be a model that our partners in the rest of the world will want to emulate, and that will therefore enable us collectively to avert the climate disasters that would await us otherwise.
Let me turn now to the Sustainable Development Goals Summit (SDG Summit). It is of great political importance. It closes the first four-year cycle of the High-Level Political Forum.
The Commission welcomes that heads of state and government will, with all relevant stakeholders, for the first time have the opportunity to review progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Summit should provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for acceleration progress towards the Agenda. The SDG Summit should endorse a political declaration that includes a clear call for accelerated action.
The political declaration includes in particular the commitment to: maintain the integrity of the 2030 Agenda and to persevere on the 2020 targets; more concrete language on climate change, including on the synergies between implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement; more concrete language on broader environmental protection including new references to marine ecosystems and sustainable consumption and production.
The Commission supports the key messages in the Global Sustainable Development Report, notably: despite significant action underway across the world, the current rate of progress is not adequate to reach the SDGs; some trends even remain negative, including rising inequalities, global warming, biodiversity loss and increasing waste from human activity; and accelerated action is required, as dynamics show that some countries seem to distance themselves from the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
Let me conclude here by thanking you for your continuing strong support for European Union climate action, which enabled us to tell this positive story on the international stage and to encourage our international partners to enhance global climate ambition and real action.
This is what our citizens expect from all of us, including the young generation that is mobilising all over Europe and the rest of the world for a better future.
Presidente. – Obrigado, Senhor Comissário, pela sua intervenção e pelas informações que nos deu quanto à mensagem que a Comissão tenciona dirigir na importante cimeira de Nova Iorque. É precisamente o assunto que vamos debater já de seguida com as intervenções dos colegas. Dou a palavra à Senhora Vice-Presidente Mairead McGuinness.
Mairead McGuinness, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, I am very conscious when I stand up here that the Secretary-General of the UN has said, ‘bring an action plan and not a speech’. The best we can do in this Chamber this morning is bring a speech and a commitment to honour commitments that Europe has signed up to, but also to acknowledge that though we speak well, we don’t always deliver. I am very conscious when I start with the Sustainable Development Goals that there are four of them, in particular, where we are actually going backwards, for example, Sustainable Development Goal 2 on hunger. We were making great progress, but as the FAO have pointed out, we are now going backwards and over 820 million people don’t have enough to eat. There is rising inequality, Commissioner, as you have just stated, so Goal 10 is not being met. On biodiversity and climate, we are also not doing or putting into place actions which will allow us to meet these objectives.
Let me just mention again – on the hunger issue, because it is a very real problem and a challenge for us all to have policy coherence both in Europe and, indeed, globally – the Lancet report, which many of us are familiar with, talked about sustainable intensification. I think even in this House we do not have a consensus as to what that might look like, or how that might evolve, so we do need to have deeper discussions in this Parliament between committees on these issues. One of the things that I hope for is that the new Parliament, which is now in session, will allow for greater coordination between committees.
On climate, we know that there are huge problems looming, and the younger generation are pushing us really forward to do more, but we also have to challenge ourselves and the younger generation to make sure we are ready for the changes in consumption and production patterns that will be required to meet all of these very noble but attainable objectives.
Just to mention two issues again – on oceans and on land. We have strong policies in Europe. We need to impress upon our colleagues in the UN next week that multilateralism is vital. The tragedy is that it’s now weaker than it was when it we signed up to these goals. I hope our delegation will impress that it is working together, both within Europe and the rest of the world, so that we will make our greatest change and I certainly, as one of the leaders of the delegation, will stress that very objective.
Miriam Dalli, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, timing is everything and the Climate Action Summit and the Sustainable Development Goals Summit are critical in helping us address the global climate emergency we are facing. The European Union needs to agree on a climate plan that provides an overall level of ambition, ensuring that the required transition takes place and providing the necessary financial means, together with the horizontal policies that need to be set.
As things stand today, even if all the 2030 pledges were to be fully implemented, we would not be on track to achieve the Paris Agreement targets. The European Union has the potential and the duty to act ambitiously before 2030 and to adopt and implement a vision for a future climate-neutral and fossil-fuel-free environment. We require clear decarbonisation strategies by different sectors. We require action plans that clearly show how these strategies will be achieved and how they will be financed. They will require changes in sectors like transport, building, industry, agriculture and forestry. Climate change is a global challenge and solutions need to be global too, as the Commissioner himself indicated.
But the European Union needs to continue in its leadership role, whilst providing support to the most vulnerable countries that are mostly affected by climate change. We need collective action and, as part of Parliament’s delegation to the Summit, I want to hear a strong European voice that is not afraid of putting forward ambitious programmes, because weak commitments would undermine our communities, our industries, our economies, our youth and our children. It is only through EU leadership that we can speed up global action on the Sustainable Development Goals and climate change goals and the EU should not shy away from its responsibilities.
María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, en nombre del Grupo Renew. – Señor presidente, señor comisario, efectivamente, el cambio climático ⸻ya está demostrado⸻ no es una cuestión de ideología, sino de supervivencia. Y debemos actuar de forma rápida, urgente, adoptando decisiones y acciones sin precedentes en nuestra historia. Si no lo hacemos así, el mundo se dirige hacia un incremento de más de tres grados centígrados a finales de siglo y habremos perdido cualquier oportunidad de actuar.
Pero ahora podemos. Por eso, la convocatoria y el llamamiento que el secretario general de las Naciones Unidas hace para que la próxima semana —la semana más importante de las Naciones Unidas— se celebre una Cumbre sobre la Acción Climática y otra sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible es absolutamente clave.
Porque lo hace en un momento fundamental: a un año de que todas las partes firmantes del Acuerdo de París presenten, tengan que presentar sus compromisos nacionales; compromisos concretos de descarbonización para evitar este incremento de la temperatura y que en 2050 no lleguemos a superar un grado y medio de incremento. También en un momento como este año, en el que hemos visto cómo las devastaciones climáticas en forma de sequía, incendios, inundaciones han sido noticia cada día.
La Unión Europea puede liderar este cambio en una cumbre de la que ya se ha dicho que no es para hacer discursos, sino para presentar acciones. La Unión Europea puede hacerlo. Tiene un compromiso claro con una acción climática neutra en 2050. En esta Cámara, recientemente, la presidenta designada de la Comisión anunció la primera ley climática europea, una gran ambición política, acompañada también de una gran ambición de financiación, señalando que el Banco Europeo de Inversiones se debe convertir en parte en banco climático.
Por lo tanto, como miembro perteneciente a la delegación del Parlamento Europeo en esta cumbre, creo que tenemos que ser conscientes de que hoy, en el mundo global, en el ámbito del multilateralismo, solo la Unión Europea puede liderar este proceso de cambio. Podemos y creo sinceramente que debemos hacerlo.
Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, I would like to thank the Commissioner. This Friday will be the start of a week of action, a week of global action, of many citizens on the streets, and they have been referred to many times already, but they are asking for much more action than the world is taking right now, including Europe.
Commissioner, I know this is probably going to be one of your last plenaries, but to be very honest, you must have noticed that your speaking notes on climate action of Europe have not changed that much over the last two years. They have always referred to the fact that we have a 2030 package in place, that we are trying to get to carbon neutrality but still have not achieved it, and that we’re the only continent achieving something. I don’t think this is the speech that people are asking for. People are asking for more action; people are asking for politicians to listen to science, and we’re not doing that. The science is very clear: we have 10 years. Ten years to make sure that we are preparing for a new economy – and we have to deliver on that. That means that Europe needs to increase its ambition. I think that there is a bit of change with the new Commission potentially, but I think it’s also very important that we do want to know what exactly they are going to say, what exactly are they going to do in that climate law? I think there you have an important role, because if I talk to the people of your DG, I don’t feel that there is this urgency. There will maybe be a climate law and then there will be a long set of deliberations on what to do after that. We expect Europe to increase its ambition to at least -55% next year, before Paris starts. That’s what people are asking for, the minimum to change; otherwise, the people on the streets will again be disappointed by the lack of action by the world, and certainly also by Europe.
Jordan Bardella, au nom du groupe ID. – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur António Guterres, l'actuel Secrétaire général des Nations unies, a déclaré le mois dernier qu'en matière de lutte contre le dérèglement climatique, les beaux discours ne suffisaient pas.
Nous attendons désormais des actes. Nul ne peut nier aujourd'hui que les organisations internationales, FMI, Banque mondiale et OMC en tête, portent une lourde responsabilité dans le système écologiquement prédateur que nous vivons. Ce sont tous ces organismes qui ont jeté les bases de la folle mondialisation sauvage aux dérives les plus absurdes. Ce sont les traités de libre-échange qu'ils ont encouragés qui jettent toujours plus de porte-containers ultra-polluants sur nos mers, souvent pour transformer des produits que nous pourrions fabriquer près de chez nous.
Que dire de l'Union européenne qui va favoriser un désastre agricole, sanitaire et écologique en signant un traité commercial avec le Mercosur. Il faut le dire clairement, dans les instances mondialistes et européistes, en matière d' écologie comme ailleurs, c'est bien l'hypocrisie qui règne à tous les étages. On prétend se soucier du dérèglement climatique, sans remettre en question le dérèglement commercial qui pourtant le nourrit. Je terminerai par ces mots inspirés de Bossuet, célèbre écrivain français: Dieu se rit des hommes qui déplorent les effets dont ils chérissent les causes.
Anna Zalewska, w imieniu grupy ECR. – Panie Przewodniczący, Panie Komisarzu, Szanowni Koleżanki i Koledzy! W wystąpieniu pana komisarza pojawiały się słowa: ambicja, determinacja. Na szczęście pojawiło się sformułowanie: „realne działania”. Dlatego chcę zadać pytanie. Czy jesteśmy przygotowani do dyskusji po realnej analizie działań, ale również możliwości poszczególnych państw? Czy mamy zaplanowane realne inwestycje na najbliższe lata? Wreszcie, żeby to wszystko było realne, czy mamy realne źródła finansowania? Pan komisarz powiedział o ogromnej kwocie ponad 320 mld euro na działania środowiskowe, ale zapomniał powiedzieć, że Komisja nie przygotowała budżetu na transformację. To Parlament zwrócił na to uwagę i proponuje niewiele: 5 mld euro. Jednocześnie chcę zapytać, czy tak ambitne plany nie spowodują, że – jeżeli nie przyłączą się do nas inne gospodarki – zwiększy się – a nie zmniejszy – emisja, dlatego że cała Unia Europejska wyprowadzi się do krajów, gdzie można pozwolić sobie przy niższych standardach na wysokoemisyjną gospodarkę.
Πέτρος Κόκκαλης, εξ ονόματος της ομάδας GUE/NGL. – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, κύριοι συνάδελφοι, κύριε Επίτροπε, την επόμενη εβδομάδα ο Γενικός Γραμματέας των Ηνωμένων Εθνών μας περιμένει στη Νέα Υόρκη για να παρουσιάσουμε το σχέδιό μας για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο θα σταματήσουμε την αύξηση των εκπομπών του διοξειδίου του άνθρακα έως το 2020 και θα τις μηδενίσουμε έως το 2050.
Η φωνή της επιστήμης είναι ενωμένη, είναι ξεκάθαρη και έχει σημάνει συναγερμό. Ένα συναγερμό που έχει κυριαρχήσει τη νεολαία της Ευρώπης και όλου του κόσμου. Η απάντηση, λοιπόν, στην κλιματική έκτακτη ανάγκη δεν απαιτεί τίποτα λιγότερο από τον ριζικό μετασχηματισμό της οικονομίας και της κοινωνίας μας. Έχουμε μια τελευταία ευκαιρία να υλοποιήσουμε μια τακτική και δίκαιη μετάβαση, εφαρμόζοντας τους 17 στόχους βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης και το πολιτικό πρόγραμμα της Συμφωνίας του Παρισιού που διεκδικούν – ταυτόχρονα με την αντιμετώπιση κλιματικής αλλαγής – την εξάλειψη της φτώχειας και τις ακραίες ανισότητες.
Η πολιτική διακήρυξη του συνεδρίου αναφέρει ρητά ότι ξέρουμε τον κόσμο που θέλουμε και έχουμε τον δρόμο να πάμε εκεί. Ας το κάνουμε, λοιπόν, ενσωματώνοντας τους 17 στόχους βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης στο Πολυετές Δημοσιονομικό Πλαίσιο και στο Ευρωπαϊκό Εξάμηνο. Δεν περιμένουμε τίποτα λιγότερο από το να είναι το νέο πρόγραμμα που ετοιμάζει ο Αντιπρόεδρος Timmermans ένα νέο πράσινο κοινωνικό συμβόλαιο. Και αυτό, κυρίες και κύριοι συνάδελφοι, δεν γίνεται καταψηφίζοντας, χθες, το αίτημα για την κατάθεση ψηφίσματος καταδίκης για την καταστροφή του Αμαζονίου.
Eleonora Evi (NI). – Signor Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, in questo dibattito il vero elefante nella stanza è il continuo erogare sussidi diretti e indiretti alle fonti fossili, in totale contraddizione con gli obiettivi di maggiore ambizione dichiarati dall'Unione europea: 5 300 miliardi di dollari nel 2015 a livello mondiale, secondo il Fondo monetario internazionale, 231 miliardi nell'Unione europea. La stessa Commissione ne riconosce 55 miliardi all'anno e conferma che non sono per nulla diminuiti nel tempo.
Al vertice di New York noi dobbiamo andare con delle proposte concrete, dire "stop" ai sussidi alle fonti fossili e abbandonarle totalmente nel medio periodo, proporre di ridisegnare la fiscalità, perché è semplicemente assurdo trattare allo stesso modo dei beni che hanno processi di produzione e impatti differenti sull'ambiente e sul clima.
E dobbiamo andare a dire che non servono dei dazi per difendere i prodotti europei, americani o cinesi ma piuttosto serve una leva fiscale con criteri trasparenti e obiettivi ambientali, che tutto questo è coerente con l'idea di mercati aperti e di concorrenza, per premiare veramente chi innova.
Tomas Tobé (PPE). – Mr President, the European Union and its Member States are the leaders in development cooperation and that role is becoming even more important in these political times. The European Union was the driving force at the UN when the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goals were shaped, and that is something to be proud of, but now it’s time for more action and more progress, especially on all SDG goals.
I am very pleased to see that the Commission President-elect seems ready to take more action and that all new Commissioners should contribute to the SDG goals, but we need a broader commitment if we’re going to succeed in reaching the SDG goals and therefore I really look forward to going to the Summit next week and co-chairing the delegation, because I think that the EU has a role, that we need to make sure to steer the policy in the right direction, and that means that we need to stand up for multilateralism and also a result-orientated European Union development policy.
Udo Bullmann (S&D). – Mr President, a week ahead of the assembly in New York, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are on everybody’s lips. Business people are talking about them, and politicians all over the globe.
But what does it mean in real terms?
Are we on track? No, we are not.
We are missing our goals in the global south because of a lack of resources, and we are far behind in the global north, in many cases because of a lack of political will and decisive action. That has to be changed radically. Yes?
Especially in the low-income countries, we would need some USD 530 billion a year to make meaningful progress on the SDGs. But what sounds so huge is not more than 0.5% of global GDP. So why are we not ready to invest this amount of money for proper heating, water supply, health care and decent nutrition for the kids in our poorest areas of the world?
Even where we see pragmatic progress in the north, it is far from enough. As long as we have spillovers – where we clear rainforests for the production of meat and palm oil for the global north, where we see the production of our clothes under the poorest conditions – we will see rising problems.
Ich glaube, dass der entscheidende Schlüssel zum Kampf um den Fortschritt für die Nachhaltigkeitsziele der Kampf gegen Ungleichheit und Ungerechtigkeit ist. Nur wenn wir in unsere Gesellschaften investieren und die Menschen in die Lage versetzen, ihr Schicksal selber in die Hand zu nehmen, mit starken Institutionen, mit multilateralem Ansatz und mit einer Politik für bessere Erziehung in die nächste Generation, werden wir eine Chance haben. Das erwarten wir vom nächsten Gipfel.
Catherine Chabaud (Renew). – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, la semaine prochaine, alors que nous serons, pour quelques-uns d’entre nous, aux Nations unies, afin de nous mobiliser pour l’action climatique et les objectifs du développement durable, au même moment, à Monaco, les experts du climat dévoileront le rapport spécial «Océan et cryosphère». Ce rapport, que nous avions demandé il y a quatre ans, avec mes amis de la plateforme Océan et Climat, s’annonce très alarmant.
Chers amis, à sa manière l’océan brûle. Pourtant, pendant des années, les négociations climatiques ont ignoré son rôle primordial dans l’équilibre du climat et les services essentiels qu’il rend à l’humanité. Grâce à la photosynthèse des micro-organismes végétaux, l’océan fournit la moitié de l’oxygène de l’atmosphère; c’est l’autre poumon de la planète. Il absorbe un quart des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Les écosystèmes marins et côtiers, comme les mangroves et les récifs coralliens, assurent la sécurité alimentaire de trois milliards d’êtres humains. Ils sont un rempart face à la montée de l’océan et à la violence des événements climatiques extrêmes. La fréquence et l’intensité des cyclones sont une conséquence du réchauffement de l’océan en profondeur. La mort des coraux est due à l’augmentation de la température, à la désoxygénation et à l’acidification de l’océan. Et je m’inquiète de ce que va nous annoncer ce nouveau rapport.
En 2015, nous avons réussi à faire entendre la voix de l’océan à la COP 21 à Paris. C’est enfin devenu un sujet émergent qui mobilise la Commission européenne, grâce notamment au travail du commissaire Vella. Et le Chili a baptisé la prochaine COP 25 la «Blue COP». Mais la bonne santé de l’océan doit être l’un des objectifs de la négociation climatique, d’autant qu’il fait aussi partie de la solution.
Il faut financer la restauration des écosystèmes marins et côtiers, réduire les émissions du transport maritime, développer des énergies marines sans détruire les habitats, etc. Premier espace maritime au monde, l’Europe a une responsabilité formidable et un leadership à prendre. C’est un défi que nous pouvons relever et qui attend le futur vice-président en charge du Green Blue Deal et le futur commissaire à l’environnement et à l’océan – et je me félicite de cet intitulé. Un océan, enfin, dont j’appelle à ce qu’il soit reconnu comme un bien commun de l’humanité.
Aileen McLeod (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, on Friday, thousands of young people will march across Scotland, just as millions of others will do across the world, to demand that we, their elected politicians, implement ambitious climate action now. They are looking to us to stand up and deliver policies that meet the needs of our planet. As a member of the delegation to the UN Climate Summit, we must take to it the strong message that we, across the EU, will meet the challenge laid before us and take bolder actions that will get us on track to meet the Paris Agreement and achieve the 1.5 degrees goal. That is what is expected of us and that is what we must deliver.
My country, Scotland, has already declared a climate emergency. We are taking bold and meaningful action to end our contribution to climate change and we will end that within a generation. We need all countries across the EU and beyond to step up to the plate. The EU has a moral duty to lead that process and to stimulate the global ambition that we urgently need, and you’ll have Scotland’s support in doing so.
(Applause)
Sylvia Limmer (ID). – Herr Präsident! Während im Dezember mal wieder der Klimazirkus in Chile tagt mit etwa 25 000 Teilnehmern – Teilnehmer, die vielfach von der angeblichen Klimarettung leben und um die halbe Welt jetten, dabei Millionen Flugkilometer hinter sich bringen und ich weiß nicht wie viele Tonnen böses, böses CO2 ausstoßen, genau jenes CO2, dessen Existenz dann so scheinheilig medial wirksam bejammert wird und politisch so gut verwendet werden kann; von den Millionen Euros Verschwendung, die zuvor den hart arbeitenden steuerzahlenden Bürgern abgepresst wurden, mal ganz zu schweigen. Während sich also die Klimaoberaufseher in den schönsten Urlaubszielen versammeln – Marrakesch, Lima in Peru, Südafrika, Bali 2007 und so weiter und so fort – und dabei immer neue Horrorszenarien am dräuenden Horizont entdecken, sorgen sie zu Hause dafür, dass dem Bürger Flugreisen immer unmöglicher werden, Autos als Mittel der freien individuellen Fortbewegung eingeschränkt werden und natürlich das böse Fleischessen verboten wird – um nur einiges zu nennen.
Übrigens, falls es diesbezüglich Fragen gibt: Ja, ich bin dieses Mal im Dezember in Chile dabei, aber CO2 ist dort ganz sicher nicht mein größtes Problem. Vielen Dank, sehr geehrtes EU-Publikum, für heute habe ich fertig.
Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Już dzisiaj Unia Europejska ma najbardziej ambitną politykę klimatyczną na świecie, dlatego też nie uważam, że powinniśmy w Nowym Jorku składać kolejne deklaracje związane z podniesieniem poziomu ambicji. Proszę zwrócić uwagę, że nadmiernie restrykcyjna polityka klimatyczna Unii Europejskiej doprowadziła już do spadku konkurencyjności europejskiego przemysłu. Czy Państwo nie widzą na przykład co dzieje się w branży stalowej? Otóż na naszych oczach zalewa nas tania stal z Chin. Nadmierna polityka klimatyczna Unii Europejskiej prowadzi właśnie do tego, że przemysł wyprowadzany jest poza granice Unii Europejskiej. W związku z „ucieczką” emisji, następuje również „ucieczka” miejsc pracy, a więc wzrasta bezrobocie.
Mówimy o celach klimatycznych, więc należy powiedzieć również o ubóstwie energetycznym. W Unii Europejskiej pięćdziesiąt cztery miliony ludzi cierpi z powodu ubóstwa energetycznego. Na to też proszę zwrócić uwagę. Jestem jak najbardziej za tym, żeby chronić klimat, ale transformacja klimatyczna musi być sprawiedliwa, musi uwzględniać zróżnicowane miks energetyczne państw członkowskich, takich na przykład jak Polska, która ma miks energetyczny oparty na węglu. Dlatego też potrzeba funduszu sprawiedliwej transformacji.
Silvia Modig (GUE/NGL). – Arvoisa puhemies, paras kilpailukykytekijä on olla edelläkävijä tässä muutoksessa. Tulevaisuuden voittajia niin yrityksissä kuin julkisessa taloudessa ovat ne, jotka kykenevät sopeuttamaan tuotantonsa tulevaisuuteen, niihin rajoihin, joita ilmastonmuutos meiltä vaatii.
Komissaari mainitsi puheessaan päästövähennystavoitteen. Vuoden 2030 päästövähennystavoitteeksi ei riitä 45 prosenttia, näin kertoo meille tieteellinen tieto. Päästövähennyksen on oltava vähintään 55 prosenttia. Tämä on esimerkki siitä, että vaikka meillä on kauniita puheita, meidän kunnianhimon taso ei vielä ole riittävä. Meidän on pakko asettaa meidän tavoitteemme tieteellisen tiedon pohjalle.
Tällä hetkellä kestävän kehityksen etenemistä haittaa neljä ilmiötä: eriarvoisuuden lisääntyminen, ilmastonmuutoksen eteneminen, jäteongelman kasvu ja biodiversiteettikadon jatkuminen. Biodiversiteetin heikkeneminen kiihtyy huolestuttavaa vauhtia. On muistettava, että vaikka luonnon monimuotoisuus on itseisarvo, on kyse myös tämän planeetalle resilienssistä, eli siitä, miten tämä planeetta pystyy sopeutumaan siihen väistämättömään lämpenemiseen, joka edessämme on. On aivan välttämätöntä saada aikaan irtikytkentä talouskasvun ja koetun hyvinvoinnin ja neitseellisten luonnonvarojen käytön välillä. Meidän on nyt vastattava niille nuorille, jotka seisovat tuolla kaduilla ja vaativat itselleen tulevaisuutta ja meiltä tekoja.
Peter Liese (PPE). – Herr Präsident! Die designierte Präsidentin der Europäischen Kommission, Ursula von der Leyen, hat gesagt: „Ich fühle mich von der Leidenschaft, der Überzeugung und der Energie der Millionen junger Menschen inspiriert, die ihrer Stimme auf unseren Straßen und in unserem Herzen Gehör verschaffen.“ Ich kann Ursula von der Leyen nur dabei unterstützen, dass sie den Weg mit uns gemeinsam geht. Wir wollen klimaneutral werden, und wir wollen auch das Ziel der Europäischen Union für das Jahr 2030 erhöhen.
Ich möchte uns aber alle gemeinsam davor warnen, uns sozusagen nur noch in Selbstbeschimpfung zu üben. Die Europäische Union ist auch bisher schon Vorreiter beim Klimaschutz. Wir haben, soweit ich das sehe, als einzige große Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft der Welt, als einziger großer Emittent, schon Gesetze beschlossen, die das, was wir in Paris versprochen haben, übererfüllen. Das reicht nicht aus, und da müssen wir weiter arbeiten. Aber wir sollten unseren Blick stärker auf andere große Verschmutzer richten und überlegen, wie wir in einen Dialog kommen, denn die Diskussion, die wir hier in Europa führen, dass wir schon Gesetze haben, die das Ziel übererfüllen und wir trotzdem noch weiter gehen wollen, erlebe ich leider in anderen großen Ökonomien nicht. Daran müssen wir stärker arbeiten. Und um die anderen zu überzeugen, müssen wir auch einen Weg gehen, wie Ursula von der Leyen das vorgezeichnet hat, wo wir die Betroffenen mitnehmen, wo wir die Industrien dekarbonisieren und die Industrien nicht aus Europa vertreiben. Ich glaube, das ist der richtige Weg: Klimaschutz und Arbeitsplätze zusammenbringen. Dann können wir das auch weltweit zum Vorbild machen und uns insgesamt durchsetzen.
Marc Tarabella (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, le nombre de personnes qui souffrent de la faim ne cesse de croître. La perte de biodiversité atteint des proportions alarmantes et le changement climatique s'accélère tandis que la coopération multilatérale est menacée. Le sommet interviendra exactement une année avant que les pays ne doivent renforcer les engagements pris au niveau national en faveur du climat, conformément aux accords de Paris.
Ces pays ont élaboré leur propre plan d'action en faveur du climat, conformément à l'accord de Paris, mais la somme de ces plans est insuffisante pour limiter la hausse du réchauffement climatique à un niveau largement inférieur à 2 degrés. Ils doivent dès lors impérativement renforcer leur stratégie pour atteindre les objectifs fixés dans le cadre de l'accord de Paris et rehausser leurs ambitions pour lutter contre les changements climatiques.
L'action pour le climat et la protection de l'environnement sont des outils clés en matière de lutte contre la pauvreté, de lutte contre la famine dans le monde, ou encore en matière de questions migratoires. Il est également primordial que ces mesures, les mesures qui seront prises, soient supportées par tous et que l'on ne fasse pas peser les efforts uniquement sur les populations les plus fragiles sur le plan socio-économique, tant dans nos pays, que dans les pays moins avancés.
J'exhorte donc les États à prendre des mesures fortes et adéquates qui devront permettent de réduire les inégalités et non les accentuer. Nous ne pouvons pas nous contenter d'ambitions mitigées, il est plus que temps d'être courageux et de se donner les moyens de construire positivement l'avenir. Le temps est aux actions concrètes et plus aux atermoiements.
Frédérique Ries (Renew). – Monsieur le Président, pour paraphraser l'ancien président français Jacques Chirac, la maison brûle. Mais 17 ans après le sommet de Johannesbourg, il y a une différence: le monde a les yeux rivés dessus et ce sera le cas encore la semaine prochaine à New York grâce à l'initiative du secrétaire général des Nations unies, António Guterres.
Alors certes, et le commissaire l'a rappelé, l'Europe globalement est dans les clous dans ses ambitions et dans ses résultats. Nous faisons mieux même avec déjà aujourd'hui 23 pour cent de réduction des émissions. Et cependant 2019 a vu encore et encore se répéter les épisodes climatiques: ouragans, inondations, incendies. Chacun le sait, les objectifs de Paris ne sont pas suffisants, le Programme des Nations unies pour l'environnement estime d'ailleurs qu'il faudra tripler les efforts pour limiter le réchauffement à 2 degrés et pour un degré et demi c'est fois 5 carrément.
Il s'agira donc, à New York, de déterminer les moyens ensemble d'aller plus vite, d'aller plus fort. Et puis surtout, et sachant que nous ne représentons que 9 pour cent des émissions mondiales, de montrer aux autres, aux principaux pays pollueurs, par l'exemple, que relever l' ambition climatique c'est booster nos économies et pas l'inverse. C'est tout le sens du Green Deal de Madame von der Leyen, 100 jours pour une loi qui se devra être exemplaire, indispensable.
Karima Delli (Verts/ALE). – Monsieur le Président, mes chers collègues, cet été, la planète nous a envoyé des signaux d'urgence. L'Amazonie brûle, la planète entière suffoque. De nombreux jeunes expriment leur colère et leur peur face au dérèglement climatique. Les scientifiques, les chercheurs ne cessent d'alerter.
Face à cette réalité, nous n'en pouvons plus des discours! Nous n'en pouvons plus des mots vides! Désillusion!
Nous avons besoin maintenant d'actions et de mesures concrètes. Il est temps que l'Europe soit exemplaire. Je le rappelle, aucun État de l'Union européenne ne respecte les accords de Paris. Alors, réveillez-vous! Tous les secteurs doivent être mis à contribution, et il faut donc, dès cette semaine, lors de l'assemblée générale de l'OACI, défendre une taxation ambitieuse de l'aviation.
L'Europe a une occasion unique de faire entendre sa voix. J'espère que vous saurez enfin saisir l'occasion et je vous le dis: si vous ne faites rien, demain vous serez non seulement comptables, mais coupables d'une inaction criminelle.
Jorge Buxadé Villalba (ECR). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, los alarmistas del cambio climático también contaminan más de lo que algunos nos dicen a los que nos acusan de escépticos. Y no lo digo yo, sino que lo dicen estudios científicos publicados por la Universidad de Michigan el año pasado. Y solo habría que ver el modo de vida de personajes como Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio o incluso algunos de los que están aquí presentes.
Señorías, nadie más preocupado por la conservación del medio natural que la opción política que represento, movidos por un extraordinario amor por nuestras patrias. Pero me temo que de esto no estamos hablando aquí hoy. Hoy, aquí, y dentro de unos días en las Naciones Unidas, de lo que se hablará es de una agenda política que disfraza la ideología en ciencia, sustituye la superstición, convirtiéndola en una verdad revelada, y elimina todo debate científico, sustituyéndolo por el llanto de una niña en horarios de máxima audiencia.
Esto de la agenda climática solo va a beneficiar a unas grandes empresas globalistas, destrozando la industria europea, condenando al paro a millones de europeos, e impidiendo el desarrollo en África, con una doctrina esencialmente, a nuestro modo de ver, profundamente inhumana.
Se habla en este Parlamento de miles de millones de euros, pero no se les dice a los ciudadanos europeos que ese dinero saldrá de sus bolsillos.
Marc Botenga (GUE/NGL). – Voorzitter, we gaan stoppen met rond de pot te draaien. We weten: honderdduizenden jongeren overal in Europa hebben een ambitieus en sociaal klimaatbeleid gevraagd en eigenlijk gaan we daar nog steeds niet noodzakelijkerwijs echt op vooruit. We staan nog altijd niet waar we moeten staan en we laten die jongeren op deze manier echt in de steek. Als we vandaag een antwoord willen geven op de stijgende ongelijkheid enerzijds en het gebrek aan effectieve klimaatactie anderzijds, dan moeten we eerst en vooral breken met het besparingsbeleid en massale openbare investeringen in onze infrastructuur toelaten.
Ten tweede: laten we er alstublieft voor zorgen dat die miljonairs op het hele continent hun belastingen beginnen te betalen. Laten we hen hun belastingen doen betalen en dat geld gebruiken voor mens en planeet. En ten slotte: laten we breken met die emissiehandel die multinationals toelaat winst te maken ten koste van het klimaat. Dan gaan we er misschien geraken, want we weten het: als de planeet een bank was, was ze al gered.
Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (PPE). – Mr President, the Sustainable Development Goals are extremely important in order to bring a better and more sustainable future for all of us. Despite important progress being made, for example in SDG 3 (health) in terms of reducing child and maternal mortality and in other areas, there is still a lot to be done in climate, biodiversity, reducing inequality and hunger.
Climate will be for sure the most debated issue in the Summit, but I would also like to draw your attention to SDG 10 (reducing inequality). Worldwide, the majority of countries do not implement this SDG into their development plans, whether we are discussing health policies or economic growth, or even sustainable development. Nowadays we can no longer just discuss inequalities in low income countries; this is also a challenge in high and middle-income countries. Economic growth is very important, but concentrating only on economic growth will not reduce inequalities. We need dedicated policies in order to achieve this goal.
Javi López (S&D). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, el conjunto de la comunidad internacional se va a reunir la semana que viene para hablar sobre la lucha contra el cambio climático y los objetivos del desarrollo sostenible. Una reunión que tiene que servir para hacer frente a algo que ya no es una amenaza futura, sino una emergencia presente. Y una reunión que tiene que servir, sobre todo, para pasar de la retórica a la acción.
De la retórica a la acción, porque en 2015 nosotros aprobamos como comunidad internacional los Acuerdos de París para limitar el crecimiento de la temperatura en la Tierra. Pues bien, los últimos cuatro años han sido los cuatro años registrados como más cálidos de la historia. Y esto está también multiplicando las catástrofes climáticas que hemos vivido recientemente también en España, en forma de inundaciones.
En segundo lugar, no solo pasar de la retórica a la acción, sino pedir y exigir a la Unión Europea liderazgo en esta materia. Que podemos y debemos. En la transición ecológica, en la descarbonización de nuestra economía y en la reducción de emisiones. Tenemos como objetivo la reducción del 40 % ya para 2030. Habrá que marcar objetivos más ambiciosos y habrá que hacerlos realidad.
Y en tercer lugar, pedir que esta necesaria transición ecológica sea una transición ecológica justa. Porque, como cualquier transformación ⸻y esta lo requiere en materia de infraestructuras, movilidad y energía⸻ va a necesitar amortiguadores para proteger nuestros puestos de trabajo, para tener socialmente y equitativamente una salida a esta transición y para poder enviar un mensaje de que transición ecológica y justicia social van de la mano. Hagámoslo ahora que estamos aún a tiempo.
Morten Petersen (Renew). – Hr. formand! Jeg vil gerne starte med at takke kommissæren for hans utrættelige arbejde for at fremme den grønne omstilling i den sidste mandatperiode.
Valget til Europa-Parlamentet før sommer var jo et klimavalg. Unge og gamle borgere over hele Europa manifesterede sig og erklærede, at dette spørgsmål er så vigtigt, at det er nu, det gælder, og at det haster. Derfor er der også god grund til at se på, om vi leverer det, vi skal fra EU’s side. Vi kommer faktisk til topmødet i næste uge, uden at vi egentlig er enige om den ambition, vi bør have, nemlig et helt og aldeles klimaneutralt EU i 2050. Så vi har virkelig stadigvæk et stort hjemmearbejde at gøre for at vise vejen, og det skal vi simpelthen gøre.
Dette topmøde burde egentlig handle om, at vi forøger vores ambitioner, og at EU går forrest på dette område. Jeg har store forhåbninger til den nye Kommission og von der Leyens gode planer. Dette må indebære et højere mål for 2030 og et bindende klimamål, og det haster med implementere alt det fortrinlige arbejde, som ikke mindst kommissær Cañete har gennemført i sidste periode.
Lad mig slutte af med endnu engang at takke kommissæren, for det er måske en af de sidste gange, vi har fornøjelsen af at se ham på plenarmødet. Stort tillykke med alt det store, gode arbejde i sidste periode. Det haster, vi har meget mere at gøre.
Michael Bloss (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, on 24 May, just before the election of this European Parliament, millions of young people went on climate strike. They have been striking, Commissioner, because you are not acting. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and the scientists have told us that we are able to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Their main message is that we don’t have time and we need to act now, yet nothing has been done. You will go to the UN Climate Summit empty handed. You will not come with new, more ambitious climate targets. I’m sorry, this is a failure.
Therefore, this Friday, millions of children and adults will again go on strike. They are striking because you are not able to deliver. They have one message, it’s simple, and I want you to hear it. They say ‘Climate action now!’
(Applause)
Izabela-Helena Kloc (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! W tym tygodniu media na całym świecie zostaną zalane bezprecedensową ilością wiadomości ze szczytu klimatycznego w Nowym Jorku. Oczywiste jest, że polityka ekologiczna stała się głównym nurtem politycznym. Słyszymy to na całym świecie. ONZ twierdzi, że wydarzenia te – tu cytuję – „razem wzięte wyślą silne sygnały i nadadzą rozmachu wyścigowi na szczyt wśród krajów. Jest to niezbędne dla osiągnięcia celów porozumienia paryskiego”. Tyle ONZ.
Ja jako poseł wybrany na Śląsku chciałabym jednak przypomnieć przedstawicielom Rady i Komisji oraz panu komisarzowi, że powinniśmy starannie dobierać tempo tego wyścigu. Dążenie do zrównoważonej przyszłości musi iść w parze z solidarnością, z grupami społecznymi i regionami – tymi, które najbardziej odczują przyspieszone zmiany w strukturze gospodarek europejskich. W Nowym Jorku będą państwo również reprezentować znajdujących się w trudnej sytuacji społecznej obywateli krajów, które potrzebują znacznie więcej czasu na transformację energetyczną. Proszę o nich nie zapomnieć.
Dolors Montserrat (PPE). – Señor presidente, querido comisario, el trabajo que haces al frente de una cartera tan difícil como la de Energía y Cambio Climático ha significado un antes y un después para todos los europeos. Has sido el artífice, el motor de poner a Europa liderando la lucha contra el cambio climático para dejar un planeta mejor a todas las futuras generaciones.
El Acuerdo de París ha sido vital y es de justicia decir hoy aquí que sin tu empeño no se hubiera logrado, como también has logrado la unión energética, la descarbonización y pasar a la acción. Tus cinco años al frente de la comisaría se definen con una palabra: éxito; éxito que solo es posible lograr trabajando con pasión, con tu capacidad negociadora y con tu visión.
Los españoles siempre dejamos huella por donde vamos, pero la huella de tu paso por la Comisión será tan imborrable como la de nuestra querida Loyola de Palacio. Como española te digo, de todo corazón, gracias. Es un orgullo tener un comisario como tú y, por tanto, continuemos en la acción en la cumbre de Nueva York la próxima semana.
Seb Dance (S&D). – Mr President, I would like to say to the Commissioner that it has been two years since the report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that I was rapporteur for passed this Parliament. We called for three things: raising ambition for mainstreaming SDGs throughout the institutions of the European Union and, crucially, status reports on how far we are from delivering on the SDGs by 2030. I have to say that, in these two years, it’s been somewhat disappointing. I don’t think that failure for action is a personal one. I think it’s systemic. I think we have to look very carefully at how the European Union’s institutions are set up to deliver and mainstream those SDGs, which is why I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Commission President-designate’s comments that we need to have the SDGs mainstreamed throughout all directorates-general (DGs) and the responsibility given to the new Commissioners to deliver just that. But, of the three scenarios that were outlined – let me be very clear here – only scenario one, the first scenario, will get us to the position we need to be in. It’s the only realistic scenario to deliver on the targets and to create a sustainable future. We have to show in this place a strong leadership role, which is so desperately lacking on the world stage, and we have to move on from the idea that the SDGs are something to be done in a tick—box exercise at the end of the day when all of the standard business is done.
Commissioner, I want to thank you personally for your commitment during these years, but please, let’s not overlook the systemic failures and let’s get it right in this next mandate.
Valter Flego (Renew). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, poštovani povjereniče, jako mi je drago da danas možemo pričati o ovoj važnoj, reći ću, presudnoj temi za našu sadašnjost i budućnost. Kad govorimo o našem cilju, on mora biti vrlo jasan. Biti svjetski lider u borbi protiv klimatskih promjena, ne biti drugi ili treći, nego prvi, svjetski lider. A da bi to postigli, onda mi, kao Europski parlament, kao predstavnici europskih građana, tražimo znatno povećanje sredstava u proračunu 2020., odnosno 2021. – 2027. za borbu protiv klimatskih promjena, za alternativne izvore energije, ali istovremeno i za otvaranje pametnih, novih, zelenih radnih mjesta za ulaganje u novu tehnologiju.
Imamo itekako šansu, ne tražiti ispriku, već način kako to realizirati. Imamo šansu biti svjetski lider i siguran sam da možemo tu šansu iskoristiti. Neka nas u svim tim poslovima ne nosi ekonomska grabežljivost kao neke druge svjetske lidere, nego odgovornost i dugoročnost. I zapamtimo, priroda može bez čovjeka, ali čovjek ne može bez prirode.
Alexandra Louise Rosenfield Phillips (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, a race we can win, a race we must win, but not for us, for our children. I’ve been so inspired by young people from Greta Thunberg to the youth everywhere. We are relying on our kids to drop out of lessons, to take to the streets, to sail across the Atlantic just to make us politicians act, and their impact has been phenomenal. As a result, this Parliament now has an environmental mandate that we all must act on. The 2015 climate plans still put the world on course to warm by at least 3 degrees by the turn of the century. The EU must commit to net zero by 2030. This means investing in a truly green new deal, which could combat poverty, inequalities and the climate crisis, so I will be taking part in Friday’s global climate strike – to demand that the health of our earth is taken seriously for my son Rafi, for the future of us all.
Agnès Evren (PPE). – Monsieur le Président, quatre ans après la signature de l'accord de Paris, on constate un décalage abyssal entre les engagements qui ont été pris et les actions menées par les pays signataires, notamment certains gros pollueurs. Or, Monsieur le Commissaire, votre communication oublie de mentionner le rôle crucial des villes dans la lutte contre le changement climatique, alors que la moitié de la population mondiale y vit.
Bâtiments trop énergivores, chauffage domestique encore souvent vétuste, saturation du trafic routier, espaces verts trop rares... À l'échelle planétaire, les villes produisent plus de 60 % des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. C'est pourquoi, d'ailleurs, le Secrétaire général de l'ONU a identifié les villes et l'action locale comme l'un des portefeuilles d'action prioritaires.
Ma question est double: comment la Commission européenne compte-t-elle porter et inclure la voix des villes européennes, le 23 septembre? Et quelles avancées significatives la Commission pourrait-elle mettre en avant pour prouver son leadership sur cette question fondamentale?
Jytte Guteland (S&D). – Herr talman, herr kommissionär. Den valrörelse som vi precis har lämnat gav ett tydligt budskap till det här parlamentet om att prioritera en hållbar omställning snabbare, och också ta en ledande roll globalt för klimatet.
Jag bär med mig ungdomarnas krav på oss i det här parlamentet att agera mycket kraftfullare än vad vi historiskt har gjort. Den tillträdande kommissionen med Ursula von der Leyen har tydligt sagt att klimatet kommer vara huvudprioritet, och också den biologiska mångfalden i världen. Det är lovvärt. Men i New York kommer vi ha vår möjlighet att bevisa att vi menar allvar. Det är där vi kan visa att vi också tar det globala ledarskapet för klimatet och för Agenda 2030. Inte minst för att det inte bara blir vackra ord utan att det också blir konkret handling.
För oss socialdemokrater är just arbetet med hållbar framtid (ekologiskt, socialt och ekonomiskt) det drivande och bärande för hela Europa. Vi måste leva upp till Parisavtalet och vi måste visa att det är det här som är den stora och viktigaste prioriteringen för EU. Men samma sak måste också göras globalt. Det är viktigt att vi nu samlar våra medlemsländer och visar konkret handling i New York, men att vi också visar att det här betyder såväl att ta Parisavtalet som Agenda 2030 på allvar och se till att det blir konkret handling. Vi har en chans nu i New York. Låt oss inte försumma den. Europa spelar en nyckelroll i klimatomställningen. Använd den nyckeln. Se till att vi blir den ledande kontinenten och att vi visar det internationella samfundet att i Europa har vi förstått allvaret och vi kommer ta ett politiskt ansvar.
Jutta Paulus (Verts/ALE). – Herr Präsident! Es sind jetzt fast vier Jahre nach dem Pariser Abkommen, und es hat sich gezeigt, das, was wir da beschlossen haben, nämlich die Erderhitzung unter zwei Grad – möglichst bei 1,5 Grad – zu halten, das wird immer schwieriger zu erreichen, weil die Emissionen in diesen vier Jahren einfach nicht gesunken sind. Jetzt wird nächste Woche in New York der Climate Action Summit abgehalten werden, und – Entschuldigung, Herr Cañete, Herr Liese – ich bin nicht der Ansicht, dass wir uns mit der Europäischen Union auf der Überholspur befinden und unsere Ziele übererfüllen; davon kann überhaupt keine Rede sein.
Wir haben diese 1,5 Grad unterschrieben, und wenn wir jetzt anschauen, auf was wir uns festgelegt haben, dann reicht das eben nicht aus, nach dem, was die Wissenschaft uns sagt, insbesondere auch nach dem Special Report vom letzten Jahr, der noch mal herausgestellt hat, wie groß unser carbon budget tatsächlich ist, also das, was wir noch an Emissionen ausstoßen können.
Deswegen wird es Zeit – und das erwarte ich von der neuen Kommission –, dass in alle Bereiche einfließen wird: Welche Auswirkung hat das auf den Klimaschutz? Welche Auswirkung hat das auf unsere Emissionen? Da gehört eben nicht nur die Energiepolitik dazu, sondern natürlich gehört da die Verkehrspolitik dazu, natürlich gehört da die Handelspolitik dazu! Denn was wir da tun, ist zum Teil kontraproduktiv, das sorgt sogar dafür, dass anderswo noch Emissionen steigen oder der Urwald abgeholzt wird.
Deswegen mein Appell: Lasst uns diese Notsituation auch wirklich ernstnehmen und den jungen Menschen, die am Freitag wieder auf die Straße gehen, gerecht werden!
(Die Rednerin ist damit einverstanden, eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“ gemäß Artikel 171 Absatz 8 der Geschäftsordnung zu beantworten.)
Λουκάς Φούρλας (PPE), ερώτηση με γαλάζια κάρτα. – Ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ. Δεν είναι ακριβώς ερώτηση. Είναι στήριξη σε αυτά που λέει η συνάδελφος. Ακούω πάρα πολλές φορές από όλους εδώ να λένε ότι η Ευρώπη και εμείς ως Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο μπορούμε να αναλάβουμε ηγετικό ρόλο. Όχι απλώς μπορούμε, αλλά επιβάλλεται να αναλάβουμε αυτό τον ρόλο. Αυτή την εντολή έχουμε λάβει από τους Ευρωπαίους πολίτες. Το ερώτημα είναι: πώς αναλαμβάνουμε αυτή τη ευθύνη εμείς ως Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο; Είναι ωραίο να λέμε ότι πρέπει να αναλάβουμε ηγετικό ρόλο. Πώς μπορούμε να πιέσουμε για να αναλάβουμε αυτό τον ηγετικό ρόλο ως Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο;
Jutta Paulus (Verts/ALE), blue-card answer. – Thank you very much for your question. I think that Parliament can play a very strong role – because it is our role to step on the toes of the new Commission if they don’t take sufficient action and if they are not prepared to step up to the goals we have already agreed upon for 2030, which – we all know – will not be sufficient for what we all want to achieve. I would like to call on all groups in this Parliament who are concerned about the survival of our civilisation. We have to work together as groups. We have to bridge the gaps between our political views because it is our common not only goal, but obligation. It’s our common obligation to step up in action.
(Applause)
Edina Tóth (PPE). – Elnök úr! A klímaváltozás elleni globális küzdelem és a párizsi megállapodás valamennyi részes fél általi végrehajtása korunk egyik legnagyobb kihívása, ugyanis a klímaváltozás hatása ma már nemcsak gazdasági és jóléti probléma, hanem sok esetben egzisztenciális kérdés is. Üdvözlendő, hogy az ENSZ-főtitkár kezdeményezésére a világ vezetői újra a legmagasabb szinten foglalkoznak evvel a kérdéssel. Az Európai Unió méltán lehet büszke eddigi eredményeire és elkötelezettségére a klímaváltozás elleni küzdelemben. Az EU 2030-as vállalása messze a legambiciózusabb valamennyi meghatározó ország között. Magyarország ebben a munkában és célkitűzésben határozottan elkötelezett. Ezt bizonyítja eddigi teljesítményünk is, miszerint a GDP növekedése elvált a szinten maradó szén-dioxid-kibocsátásunktól.
A klímaváltozás elleni küzdelem azonban nem csak az EU-n múlik, amely a világ üvegházhatásúgáz-kibocsátásának alig 10 százalékát adja. Ez a kihívás csak úgy kezelhető, ha valamennyi állam az EU-hoz hasonló ambíciót vállal. Ennek fényében külön üdvözlendő, hogy az új Európai Bizottság kijelölt felelős alelnöke megbízólevelében kiemelt helyre került a klímaváltozással kapcsolatos nemzetközi tárgyalások vezetése. Az EP részéről ennek a feladatnak az elvégzését szorosan nyomon kell követni, hiszen a tét a bolygónk jövője.
Intervenções “catch the eye”
João Ferreira (GUE/NGL). – Senhor Presidente, a ação climática, como já antes o desenvolvimento sustentável, saltaram para o centro do discurso político. Mas para além dos chavões, para além de alguma propaganda, de alguma superficialidade e até oportunismo com que tantas vezes estas questões são tratadas, o que é que fica? E o que fica é, infelizmente, a insistência nas mesmas políticas que têm comprometido a possibilidade de um desenvolvimento assente numa relação sustentável entre o homem e a natureza. Alguns dos que fazem juras de empenho na ação climática, alguns dos que afirmam compromissos solenes com o desenvolvimento sustentável, são os mesmos que escancaram as portas às políticas que semeiam a destruição ambiental, económica e social, como aquelas assentes no livre comércio, políticas comerciais e agrícolas que promovem a deslocalização da produção, que destroem os sistemas produtivos mais débeis e que aumentam os fluxos de matéria e de energia associados à satisfação das necessidades mais básicas.
Senhor Comissário, alguém na Comissão fez as contas sobre quanto custará em emissões de gases com efeito de estufa o acordo que acabou de ser celebrado com o Mercosul? Comecemos por aqui, por modelos de produção e de consumo mais sustentáveis, e paremos de tentar pintar de verde um sistema que é intrinsecamente insustentável. A questão fundamental é política e social, e não tanto tecnológica. O capitalismo não é verde.
Μαρία Σπυράκη (PPE). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση ηγείται πράγματι της αντιμετώπισης της κλιματικής αλλαγής. Και αυτό είναι το κεκτημένο μας, Επίτροπε Cañete, στα χρόνια που ηγείσθε αυτής της προσπάθειας. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση ηγείται πράγματι νομοθετικά, αλλά ηγείται και στην εφαρμογή των στόχων στα κράτη μέλη. Αλλά προφανώς αυτό που συμβαίνει δεν αρκεί.
Η νέα πράσινη συμφωνία που θα παρουσιάσει o Αντιπρόεδρος Timmermans οφείλει να λάβει υπόψη της τα προβλήματα ανταγωνιστικότητας της ευρωπαϊκής βιομηχανίας και την ανάγκη να αλλάξει γρήγορα η προέλευση του ηλεκτρικού ρεύματος που χρησιμοποιεί, με έμφαση στις ανανεώσιμες πηγές ενέργειας.
Το «New Green Deal» πρέπει όμως ταυτόχρονα να στηριχθεί και σε μια νέα παγκόσμια συμμαχία για την αντιμετώπιση της κλιματικής αλλαγής· μια παγκόσμια συμμαχία προθύμων που θα περιλαμβάνει κράτη, θα περιλαμβάνει περιφέρειες και θα έχει ως στόχο τη νέα βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη, με έμφαση στη χρηματοδότηση της έρευνας και τις νέες τεχνολογίες. Και τα χρήματα αυτά μπορούν να προέλθουν από το δικό μας Πολυετές Δημοσιονομικό Πλαίσιο, από τους κρατικούς προϋπολογισμούς, από τα χρηματοδοτικά εργαλεία αλλά και από τον ιδιωτικό τομέα.
Τα ενεργειακά αναβαθμισμένα κτίρια για όλους, η αντιμετώπιση της ενεργειακής φτώχειας, η κυκλική δραστηριότητα στην παραγωγή και πρώτα και πάνω απ’ όλα η αλλαγή του καταναλωτικού μοντέλου μπορούν να είναι η βάση και οι πυλώνες για τη νέα πράσινη ανάπτυξη.
Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, domnule comisar, stimați colegi, eu cred că poziția Europei, a Uniunii Europene a fost foarte clară pe acest subiect. Sigur, ne-am stabilit ținte, ne-am stabilit ținte pentru 2030, pentru 2050. Cred că următoarea comisie, care va fi validată cât de curând, trebuie să aibă o abordare pragmatică, să găsească măsuri adecvate, pentru a nu rata ținta 2050.
Însă cred că acest summit este important pentru că, din păcate, nu numai Europa poluează și, dacă noi avem pași importanți făcuți, știm bine că globul este afectat de poluarea din China, din SUA... Și cred că la acest summit reprezentanții instituțiilor europene trebuie să sublinieze acest lucru, iar acest summit trebuie să se termine cu măsuri concrete la nivel global și, desigur, părerea mea este că Organizația Națiunilor Unite trebuie să fie mai implicată pe acest subiect.
Și mai cred, domnule comisar, că este bine ca noul cadru financiar multianual - să nu uităm de bugete - să reflecte faptul că avem nevoie de investiții, avem nevoie de susținerea IMM-urilor pentru adaptarea la noile măsuri, iar fără investiții, fără inovare, fără cercetare, nu o să putem să atingem țintele.
Ellie Chowns (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, as we’ve heard, this Friday, around the world young people will spill on to the streets to demand that we all step up action to tackle the climate emergency. I’ve personally found their leadership on this issue both humbling and really inspiring.
In response to their call, there are three things that we can all do. We must stand in solidarity with the climate strikers, first of all. We must each reflect on our own behaviour and live more lightly on the planet. But, most importantly, as representatives, we must work for systemic change. We in Europe have built our prosperity on the use of fossil fuels and on resource exploitation, a model that we have exported worldwide. The result has been a world facing a climate crisis and unacceptable inequality. We therefore have a special responsibility to show leadership in achieving zero carbon and in tackling global inequality.
There’s still insufficient ambition both in this House and in our national parliaments to tackle the climate crisis. Warm words about a Green New Deal need to be translated into policies: no trade policy that encourages deforestation and no investment in fossil fuels; instead, public transport, zero carbon buildings, green agriculture. We in Europe need to put our money where our mouth is and take this opportunity of zero carbon transition to build the societies and economies that our children deserve.
Mick Wallace (GUE/NGL). – Mr President, setting targets and talk of ambitions will not be worth a damn if the policies the EU adopts make things worse rather than better: The IPCC has called for near-term reductions in natural gas production of 15% by 2030 and 43% by 2050, relative to 2020. These kind of reductions are not compatible with the expansion of the current natural gas system, including the building of new, liquefied natural gas capacity and the importation of frack gas from the US.
So why are we are expanding our liquefied natural gas systems? Because Shell, one of the biggest polluters on the planet, successfully lobbied the Commission in the lead-up to the 2014 EU climate pact. The idea that gas is a more suitable transition fuel than an energy approach based on renewables was created by Shell.
Commissioner, do you not think that achieving higher reduction targets is unlikely to be achieved unless we challenge neoliberalism?
Радан Кънев (PPE). – Г-н Председател, ние всички сме разтревожени от кризата на климата. Аз бих казал нещо повече – разтревожени сме от общата криза на околната среда, която застрашава водите, горите и производството на достатъчно храна както на нашия континент, така и на нашата планета. Но сме разтревожени от още нещо – от наличието на твърде много думи и твърде малко дела в тази политика. Въпросът е: защо?
Моят отговор е: защото никоя политика не може да бъде успешна, ако не е изначално обърната към нуждите на хората, т.е. да бъде политика, която спасява, а не съсипва фермерите; която подкрепя, а не разорява малкия бизнес; която гарантира запазването на металната, стоманената, алуминиевата индустрия в Европа; политика, която развива, модернизира енергийните и въглищни райони, а не ги закрива и обезлюдява.
За да имаме такава политика, вярвам, че трябва да се обърнем точно към тези млади хора, които протестират, и преди всичко да бъдем лидери в науката, иновациите и образованието – нещо, което Европа не е.
Carlos Zorrinho (S&D). – Senhor Presidente, as alterações climáticas são o maior desafio com que a Humanidade alguma vez foi confrontada. Fazemos face a um enorme desafio de mitigação, adaptação e proteção da biodiversidade. O consenso científico sobre estas prioridades é inquestionável, mas muitos põem em questão a evidência e retiram-se dos acordos multilaterais determinantes para a defesa do planeta.
É neste contexto que António Guterres convocou a Cimeira sobre a Ação Climática, em Nova Iorque, já na próxima semana com o objetivo de encorajar os chefes de Estado a aumentarem a sua contribuição para a redução de emissões. Na União Europeia fizemo-lo desde a primeira hora. Somos, a nível mundial, a economia que mais ambição tem demonstrado no combate às alterações climáticas, uma ambição reforçada pela nova Comissão.
No mandato anterior fiz parte da equipa de negociadores do Regulamento relativo à governação da União da Energia e conseguimos fechar um acordo forte, e podemos agora ir ainda mais longe. O desafio da descarbonização é um desafio global. Não hesitemos em partilhar o que conseguimos no plano legislativo e sejamos rápidos a concretizá-lo.
Senhor Comissário, nós temos um plano, temos 27 planos nacionais, temos um plano da União Europeia. Concretizemo-los!
(Fim das intervenções “catch the eye”)
Miguel Arias Cañete,Member of the Commission. – Mr President, thank you for this rich and engaging debate, which demonstrates that climate policy and development goals policy are truly at the heart of the European debate.
I will start with some words from Mr Peter Liese. Mr Liese says that sometimes we Europeans criticise ourselves too much, but I think that in New York the European Union, thanks to the efforts of this Parliament or the former Parliament, has a very good story to tell. Our energy legislation was approved in this House with 80%, on average, of the votes cast. Our climate legislation was approved here with more than 78% of the votes cast. There was wide support for the efforts that the Commission had put on the table to deliver ambitious climate policy. And where are we now, what’s the story we can tell in New York?
We Europeans have the most ambitious nationally determined contribution (NDC) of all those expressed by the parties to the Climate Convention, reducing our emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared with 1990. But what is most important is that we have all the binding legislation needed to achieve this target and in fact – thanks to Parliament’s ambition – to over—achieve this target, because with the current legislation we will reduce our emissions by 45%.
So we have an ambitious target, we have binding legislation, and we have strong governance in the form of integrated national climate action plans. No other party in the world has this. If the government changes in the United States, the policy changes. In the European elections, elections result in different governments every time but the policy remains the same. So we have ambitious commitments, we have strong legislation and we have put on the table a very ambitious climate-neutral study for 2050.
In the October Council, 24 Member States endorsed this legislation – there are only four missing at the moment – and I have high expectations that in the December Council this climate neutrality for 2050 will be a reality in the European Union. It will be extremely important: climate neutrality in 2050 is much more ambitious than the pathways of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), because the IPCC says that globally we have to become climate neutral after 2060 and before 2080.
We will become the first major economy to become climate neutral in 2050, and that’s a good story to tell, notably because, in the new Commission, the President-elect has committed to proposing a European Green Deal in the first 100 days of her term, and that will include the first European climate law to enshrine the 2050 climate neutrality target. We have a strong story to tell.
In addition, the President-elect wants to reduce emissions by 50% in 2030 and not by 2055. So we will go to New York with a good story. And we will go too with lots of support for developing countries to be able to implement climate action, because what is important is not that the European Union is the most ambitious it has ever been, and that we are delivering and will deliver on our commitments, but that we are also supporting other people in delivering and are doing outreach to convince the world that it has to work in this direction.
We are the biggest donor of climate finance to developing countries, more than EUR 20 billion every year, so we can be proud of what we have done. We have a lot of ground to cover because we have to work to be world leaders, because if we are world leaders – developing renewables, developing energy efficiency, phasing out fossil fuels and creating growth and jobs in the green economy – then the rest of the world will follow us.
So we have a responsibility because if the European Union does not assume the leadership then nobody will assume it – here, in climate policy or on the Sustainable Development Goals. I am pretty sure that the new Commission will take that responsibility on board and that this Parliament will give the next Commission the same degree of support that they gave to me.
When we made proposals, Parliament improved the proposals. Now with the commitments of the President-elect, I’m also sure that this Parliament will raise the level of ambition.
Just two comments. Becoming climate neutral is a revolution, an economic and social revolution, bigger probably than the industrial revolution, because it changes the way you produce energy, changes the way you heat and cool, changes how your industry is going to produce goods and the means whereby we transport ourselves. It’s a revolution. Changing the way our agriculture has to reduce methane emissions and the use of fertilisers is a big revolution and it produces different impacts in different territories. The impacts are asymmetrical, but there must be a fair and just social transition, and for that the Just Transition Fund becomes fundamental.
I am extremely happy that the President-elect has declared the Commission will support the people in the regions most affected through a Just Transition Fund. This is fundamental because nobody should be left behind in the big transformation that the European economic and social system must envisage in the next few years. So we will be ambitious on climate policy but we also have to look after our citizens, our people, so that this is a socially just and fair transition.
A final very specific word on the comment made by Mr Ferreira. He referred to the impact of trade agreements and to Mercosur in relation to climate policy. I just want to say that the European Union is strongly committed to leveraging its trade policy to promote climate action in partner countries and to project our approach to climate policies and standards. We have delivered on this commitment in all the agreements negotiated in the past year.
The Mercosur Association Agreement follows this approach. It has an ambitious, dedicated ‘trade and sustainable development’ chapter, including legally binding commitments related to environmental protection and climate change, and with respect to the Paris Agreement it contains the strongest form of commitment. Each party commits individually to effectively implementing the Paris Climate Agreement, including in respect of the nationally determined contributions. This means that withdrawal from the Paris Agreement or a breach of its commitments will also be a breach of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, and the commitment to effective implementation of the Paris Agreement is particularly meaningful where partners have made a strong nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement.
Presidente. – O debate está encerrado.
Declarações escritas (artigo 171.º)
Rasmus Andresen (Verts/ALE), schriftlich. – Nur wenn wir die EU bis 2040 klimaneutral machen, werden wir die Klimakrise stoppen. Dafür müssen wir unsere Gesellschaft verändern. Wir brauchen einen Green New Deal mit massiven Investitionen in unser Klima und für soziale Teilhabe; tun wir das nicht, sorgen wir dafür, dass die ohnehin schon verheerenden Kosten von Klimafolgeschäden den kommenden Haushalten und damit den jungen Generationen aufgebürdet werden.
Um die Klimaziele der EU zu erreichen, tun die Mitgliedstaaten zu wenig. Wir sind weit davon entfernt, die selbst gesteckten Ziele einzuhalten – gerade Deutschland sollte endlich anfangen, ernsthaft zu handeln, und hier Vorbild sein. Scheinmaßnahmen und Symbolpolitik nützen nichts und sind ein Schlag gegen kommende Generationen und gegen die schon heute sozial benachteiligten Gruppen in der Bevölkerung. Auf sie werden die Kosten kurzfristig angelegter Gewinnmodelle langfristig abgewälzt – das wollen wir uns nicht gefallen lassen.
Millionen junge Menschen gehen seit Monaten weltweit auf die Straßen; sie fordern zu Recht, dass wir die eingeschlagenen Pfade unseres Handelns und Wirtschaftens verlassen und endlich neue Wege einschlagen: für ihre Zukunft und für unseren Planeten. Aus unserer Sicht fußt gerechte und zukunftsweisende Politik auf der Grundlage sofortiger, radikaler Maßnahmen für umweltverträgliche und klimagerechte Umstrukturierungen auf allen Ebenen unseres Handelns. Dafür brauchen wir Climate Action Now!
Lívia Járóka (PPE), írásban. – Manapság több mint 2 milliárdra- a világ népességének egyharmada- becsülik a teljesen vagyontalanok és szegények arányát, akiket egyre súlyosabban fenyegetnek megélhetési és társadalmi problémák, beleértve az éghajlatváltozást is. A becslések szerint 2030-ra a klímaváltozás és éghajlati katasztrófák miatt további 100 millió embert érinthet súlyos nélkülözés és több mint 200 millió ember hagyhatja el a lakhelyét.
Ez azt jelenti, hogy az éghajlatváltozás akadályozhatja a világ szegényeinek felszámolására irányuló fontos globális erőfeszítések sikerét, mint például az ENSZ Fenntartható Fejlődési Céljait is, amely 15 év alatt szeretné felszámolni a mélyszegénységet. Az elszegényedett közösségek és az alacsony jövedelemű országok különösen érzékenyek az éghajlatváltozás hatásaira és a szegény sorsúak sokkal többet veszítenek az átlagnál.
Jobban ki vannak téve a természeti katasztrófáknak, mint például az árvizeknek, amelyek elmoshatják az eszközöket és a megélhetésüket, ráadásul emelik a vízi úton terjedő betegségeknek a veszélyét, ilyen például a malária. Ha sürgősen nem lépünk fel, a klímaváltozás a szegénység növekedését fogja katalizálni. Ezért szükségünk lenne egy éghajlatváltozás és szegénység leküzdésére irányuló platformra és egy átfogó szegénység elleni Európai Uniós stratégiára, ahol integrált megoldásokkal állhatunk elő ezen globális problémák orvoslására