Today, 18 September 2015, the Environment Council of the European Union adopted its latest conclusions, setting out the EU position for the UN climate change conference in Paris this December. Although not groundbreaking, the conclusions state and reiterate the EU expectations for COP21and take a holistic view on outstanding matters, including pre-2020 considerations.
The 28 environment ministers agreed on a common stance on three major issues: the pillars of a legally-binding Paris Agreement in order to remain below 2°C of global warming, the implementation mechanisms for such agreement, and the mitigation steps to be taken pre-2020.
Welcoming the G7 Declaration of June 2015, the European Council calls for a “long-term vision of global and sustainable climate neutrality and climate resilience”.
The conclusions stipulate that greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2020, are reduced by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 1990, to eventually achieve carbon neutrality or negative emissions by the end of the century. They propose a five-year cycle within which Parties are required to “either submit new or updated commitments, without falling behind previous levels of commitment, or resubmit the existing ones”. This is important, considering that INDCs submitted thus far suggest that the agreement will fall short of achieving reduction commitments necessary to stay in a 2°C world. With decreasing costs of renewable energy technologies and improved understanding of the substantial co-benefits of climate action - complementing the sustainable development agenda- countries need a regular mechanism to adjust ambitions upwards.
In addition, the EU’s commitment to climate finance and the Green Climate Fund are reaffirmed, with more details to be discussed by finance ministers in November this year.
According to Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete the conclusions represent a solid position based on which the EU will be “a deal maker and not a deal taker” in the upcoming Paris negotiations.
Several climate security studies have assessed the risks of climate change to security and examined potential foreign policy responses, but the connection between climate change and foreign policy remains underexplored. The new Climate Diplomacy Report of the German Foreign Office takes up the challenge.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are currently engaged in vital talks over the dispute relating to the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River. While non-African actors are increasingly present in the negotiations, the African Union (AU) is playing a marginal role.
Climate change was more central than ever at this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC), the leading international forum for senior military, security and foreign policy leaders. The release of the inaugural “World Climate and Security Report 2020” (WCSR 2020) by the Expert Group of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) should help policymakers take effective action.
The mission of the Munich Security Conference is to “address the world’s most pressing security concerns”. These days, that means climate security: climate change is the ultimate threat multiplier, and anyone discussing food security, political instability, migration, or competition over resources should be aware of the climate change pressures that are so often at the root of security problems.