European Commission sets strategy for global action post Copenhagen

The European Commission today proposed that the European Union continue to press for a “robust and legally binding global agreement that involves all countries in real climate action” and begin implementing last December's Copenhagen Accord by providing financial assistance to developing countries. However, it said that the world might not be able to reach a global deal until 2011.

The communication comes at a time when countries are preparing for the big climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of this year.

Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, said, "Climate change can be controlled only if all major emitters take action. Obviously nobody would, stronger than myself, hope that we could get everything done in Mexico, but the signals coming out of various capitals of big emitters, unfortunately, do not make that likely.”

The EU would be ready to reach a legally-binding global deal at Mexico, the Commission said. However, it added, differences between countries may delay an agreement until 2011. “EU is ready but the world might not be, and therefore our approach has to be step-wise.”

As part of this Accord, the European Union has committed to a 20 per cent emissions cut below 1990 levels by 2020, and to scaling up this reduction to 30 per cent if other major economies agree to do their fair share of the global effort.

In the climate change talks, pressure is building on developing economies such as India and China to limit their emission levels. India, along with the other BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, China) countries recently agreed to be formally associated with it. BASIC countries have emphasized that the Accord is only a political statement and it has to be part of the United Nation’s two-track negotiation process.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had firmly opposed India’s move to endorse the Accord. It had said that industrialised nations would get away with a pledge-and-review system as the Accord did not set a firm peaking year for Annex 1 countries. These countries had peaked their emissions in the year 2000, the CSE had observed.

The Commission also said the Copenhagen Accord was a “step towards the EU's goal of a legally binding global climate agreement, which should take effect in 2013 at the end of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period.” The Accord endorses the EU's core objective of keeping global warming below 2ºC above the pre-industrial temperature in order to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

It said the Kyoto Protocol remained the central building block of the UN process. “But, the limited number of countries it covers, and its serious weaknesses, must be addressed.”

If allowed to continue with these weaknesses, which concern accounting rules for forestry emissions and the handling of surplus national emission rights from the 2008-2012 period, it would risk reducing the industrialised countries' current emission reduction pledges to almost zero, it further stated.

“Swift implementation of the EU's commitment to provide ¤2.4 billion in 'fast start' financial assistance to developing countries annually in 2010-2012 is essential both to the EU's credibility and to enhancing recipient countries' capacities to address climate change. The Commission is ready to help ensure the EU's assistance is well coordinated.”

The EU should continue to work to advance the development of the international carbon market, which is essential for driving low-carbon investments and reducing global emissions cost-effectively. The carbon market can also generate major financial flows to developing countries, it observed.