Why we need Copenhagen Plus
However strong the agreement at Copenhagen, it will not beenough. Global emissions will continue to rise even if Americaand Europe commit to 30% cuts by 2020.
To make progress on climate change, rich countries must help
developing countries to raise living standards of the poor withclean energy. Rich and poor must work together to create a fairapproach to climate and development.
Negotiations by almost 200 countries are simply too slow, as
we have seen in the WTO, UN and other forums. What weneed is a fast track to accelerate action by countries andcompanies willing to pioneer solutions for the rest of the world.
A lesson from history
The European Community was started by just six countries.
Now most of Europe is united. By working together, poorer
countries have grown richer and Europe is safer. But now
Europe faces a greater threat, which it alone cannot defeat.
The European Union needs to work closely with developing
countries to accelerate action for climate security within the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
A plan for the future
Rich and poor countries can work together to cut poverty andslow climate change through enhanced cooperation. Thismeans Copenhagen Plus – an agreement by Europe anddeveloping countries to take accelerated action.

Fair shares to meet the climate challenge
What kind of climate regime can bring global emissions rapidly undercontrol while enabling developing countries to reduce poverty andpromote human development?
The blue line below shows the global emission path needed to keep the
global temperature rise within 2ºC. This requires global emissions topeak by 2015 and fall by at least 80% below current levels by 2050.
Even this has a 20-35% risk of going above the 2ºC threshold.1

The critical question is how this carbon budget is shared. Even if
industrialized countries (Annex 1) cut emissions to 90% below 1990
levels by 2050 (red line), the remaining space for developing countries(non-Annex 1) to increase emissions is limited. The yellow line simply
shows what is left of the global carbon budget for developing countries.
It peaks before 2020 and then falls at 6% a year.
This shows the dilemma of climate change: letting emissions rise above
the blue line spells disaster, while limiting emissions of developing
countries could perpetuate poverty. Neither path is acceptable.
This dilemma can only be solved by North and South working together.
1From Sivan Kartha, Bo Kjellen, Paul Baer, & Tom Athanasiou in Paper 4 on
http://www.climatecommunity.org/PotsdamSeminar_researchpapers.html

Accelerate action for climate security
Europe can take three steps to accelerate action:•

Dramatically increase investment in clean energy fordeveloping countries. At least €30bn a year is needed
according to the World Bank and Stern Report2;•Create a High Level Commission with India and otherdeveloping countries to build enhanced cooperation forclimate security and clean development;•Commit to equal per capita emission rights.

A zero carbon economy cannot be created with low funding, weak
institutions and ad hoc cooperation between Europe anddeveloping countries. We need strong institutions to takedecisions, allocate resources, enforce commitments and manage
the global emissions market under the rule of law.
A bold and generous commitment by the EU to increase fundingfor clean development will show that Europe recognises its
responsibility and is willing to lead global economic recovery
based on clean development.
Why enhanced cooperation?
A smaller group of countries, North and South, can work together
better, solve problems quicker and cut emissions faster than 200countries. They can try things out, learn from mistakes and create
more effective institutions.
Europe has shown before how smaller group of countries canpioneer solutions. Now Europe needs to work with developing
countries to pioneer global solutions through enhanced
cooperation within the UNFCCC framework.
India and other developing countries would benefit from increased
investment to cut poverty and carbon emissions.
2World Bank, Investment Framework for Clean energy and Development

Why a High Level Commission?
Progress on climate change and the Millennium Development
Goals are lagging, despite countless international commitments.
To secure real cuts in poverty and carbon emissions we needeven greater political will and cooperation.
To achieve this, bilateral cooperation between the EU, India andother developing countries must be strengthened. A High Level
Commission for climate security and clean development could
solve problems faster and achieve better solutions.
The Commission would undertake practical measures, such as:•Allocate EU funding for national climate action plans inIndia and other developing country partners;•

Secure safe, affordable and sustainable energy supplies,including clean coal and renewable energy technologies;•

Share expertise, research, innovation and intellectual
property for clean development;•Extend the EU Carbon Trading Scheme to specific sectors
where appropriate, by agreement;•Develop institutions for problem solving and cooperation;•Create a long term framework for reducing emissions andpromoting clean development which give business theconfidence to invest for the long term.

The benefits would be great. Bringing together Europe, India andother countries in a concerted effort would unleash talents andresources to tackle poverty and climate change together. It willshow the world that the time for haggling is over and these two
great democratic powers are determined to create prosperity anda low carbon future for all. An agreement between EU and India toform a High Level Commission for enhanced cooperation onclimate and clean development could be described as“Copenhagen Plus”.

A four phase process
The current phase involves Europe and India as key Strategic Partners,deepening cooperation through working groups.
In the second phase, India and Europe strengthen their partnership
through a High Level Commission with executive authority to allocate
resources for accelerated action on climate and clean development.
Other countries may join at this stage, which could start as early as 2009(“Copenhagen Plus”).
This creates the kernel of a Global Climate Community (GCC) with thenecessary objectives and institutions to ensure their achievement: this isphase three. As the Climate Community develops within the UNFCCC,
phase four sees the progressive association of other countries.

This political initiative unites countries, North and South, led by India andthe European Union, in a shared commitment to avoid dangerous
climate change and enable the world’s poor to leapfrog their economies
with clean energy and environmentally sustainable technologies.
This process has already begun. The pace at which it develops depends
on political will. The $4 trillion bailout of the international financial systemshows what is possible when political leaders see the need for action.
We now need a “Green New Deal” for climate and clean development.

High-Level EU-India Process
In May 2008 a high level India-Europe seminar in Potsdam
opened the way for a new North-South initiative for enhanced
cooperation and the long term global contraction of carbon
emissions based on principles of equity.
The seminar brought together 71 distinguished Indians andEuropeans, including members of both President Barroso’s
Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change and Prime
Minister Singh’s High Level Advisory Group on Climate as well as
participants from science, administration, politics, business andcivil society. It was jointly organised by the Potsdam Institute for
Climate Research (PIK) and Action for a Global Climate
Community (AGCC) with support from the European Environment
Agency and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
The seminar examined ways in which India and Europe might leadthe world in tackling sustainable development and climate change
through a ‘community of the willing’ based on equity.
A working party under the joint Chairmanship of Sir Crispin Tickell
and Nitin Desai, former UN Under-Secretary General for
Economic and Social Affairs, was created to examine:• Models to show alternative time paths for equal per capita
emissions entitlements by 2050;• Possibilities of linking India with the EU ETS andassociated technical issues;• The potential for major investment in solar thermal,sustainable biomass, black carbon soot reduction and othertechnologies for India’s clean energy programme;• A road map to a global emissions trading system and theinstitutions required to implement such proposals;• A network of European and Indian research institutes on
climate-related issues such as sustainable biomass,energy, black carbon, solar thermal, desalination, monsoon
dynamics, health, and economic impacts, and other issues;

••Options for financing adaptation and clean development;
Local and sectoral cooperation including technology
transfer, eco-innovation and intellectual property rights
issues.
The conclusions were communicated to Foreign Ministers of all
EU Member States.
Many of these issues were also discussed by the EU-India
Summit in Paris in September 2008, which adopted an ambitious
programme of joint work.
We believe India and Europe can show leadership by setting up aHigh Level Commission to accelerate these plans throughenhanced cooperation.
These proposals will be taken further in Delhi in February 2009.
Chris Layton/Peter Luff AGCC July 2008, tel: +44 (0) 7770 930942, email: peterluff@gmail.com

For a report of the seminar go to:www.climatecommunity.org
Or email: info@climatecommunity.org

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Progress towards enhanced cooperation
The EU and India are determined to reach “an ambitious andcomprehensive agreed outcome” at Copenhagen, “in accordancewith the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities andrespective capabilities” (Government of India 29 Sept 2008).
The EU and India are working together in many areas, such as the•EU-India Joint Action Plan•

EU-India Initiative on Climate Change•

EU-India Energy Panel•

EU-India Science and Technology Steering Committee•

EU-India Coal and Clean Technologies Working Groups•

International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Co-operation•

Cooperation in Fusion Energy Research•

EU Action Plan Support Facilities for capacity building onclimate change in India•

EU-India regulatory dialogue on financial services•

EU-India Working Group on engineering•

Support for business-to-business and research cooperation
through a European Business & Technology Centre (EBTC)•

Dialogue on agriculture to improve productivity•

Agreement on civil aviation•

EU-India Civil Society Round Table•

EU-India Business Summit

These measures offer a basis for enhanced cooperation through aHigh Level Commission on climate security and clean
development as proposed in this paper on “Copenhagen Plus”.
For more details go to: www.climatecommunity.org