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.
A new publication on SDGs and foreign policy, prepared by researchers at the German think tank adelphi, highlights a phenomenon I call this the ‘Great Splintering’ – the fracturing of political will for collective action on the global stage. This article outlines five steps we could take to revive multilateralism.
Satellite analysis shows ‘vanishing’ lake has grown since 1990s, but climate instability is driving communities into the arms of Boko Haram and Islamic State. Climate change is aggravating conflict around Lake Chad, but not in the way experts once thought, according to new research.
At a meeting of the Arctic Council, secretary of state Mike Pompeo refused to identify global warming as a threat, instead hailing an oil rush as sea ice melts. The US refused to join other Arctic countries in describing climate change as a key threat to the region, as a two-day meeting of foreign ministers drew to a close on Tuesday in Ravaniemi, Finland.
Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood, and about 2.6 billion people rely directly on agriculture. Deforestation, land degradation, and unsustainable management of ecosystems threaten those livelihoods and may contribute to resource-related conflicts and social unrest.