P6_TA(2005)0177

Climate Change

European Parliament resolution on the Seminar of Governmental Experts on Climate Change

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of 11 December 1997, and the application procedures for its implementation adopted at the Conferences of parties in Bonn (July 2001), Marrakesh (November 2001), New Delhi (November 2002), Milan (December 2003) and Buenos Aires (December 2004),

- having regard to the Decision of the 10th Conference of parties to convene in May 2005 a Seminar of Governmental Experts in order to promote an informal exchange of information on actions relating to mitigation and adaptation to assist parties to continue to develop effective and appropriate responses to climate change, and on policies and measures adopted by their respective governments that support implementation of their existing commitments under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol,

- having regard to its resolutions relating to climate change, notably that of 13 January 2005 on the outcome of the Buenos Aires Conference on climate change [1],

- having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas climate change is one of the major challenges of the 21st century, having significant negative global environmental, economic and social consequences, and is expected to impinge negatively on sustainable development and the livelihoods of millions of people all over the world,

B. whereas the UNFCCC, which entered into force on 21 March 1994 and has now been ratified by 189 parties, sets out a framework for action aimed at stabilising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases in order to avoid "dangerous anthropogenic interference" with the climate system,

C. whereas the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC entered into force on 16 February 2005 following ratification by 146 countries and regional economic integration organisations representing 61,6 % of 1990 Annex I greenhouse gas emissions,

D. whereas the Kyoto Protocol establishes binding emission reduction targets for the Annex I countries for the period 2008-2012; whereas the Protocol further establishes that commitments for subsequent periods shall start to be considered at least seven years before the end of the first commitment period,

E. whereas the 10th Conference of parties (COP 10) meeting in Buenos Aires in December 2004 decided to convene in May 2005 a Seminar of Governmental Experts to promote exchange of information among the parties on mitigation and adaptation actions and on policies and measures supporting the implementation of existing commitments,

F. whereas developed countries have a major responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and should therefore play a leading role in the process to reduce emissions; whereas the European Parliament has consistently called for the EU to maintain such a leading role,

G. whereas the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol are an essential condition for a global strategy on climate change, but further targets need to be set soon for the period after 2012 to provide investment certainty for low-carbon energy sources, low greenhouse-gas emitting technologies and renewable energy, and to avoid investment into incompatible energy infrastructure; whereas addressing climate change also brings opportunities and incentives for innovation in line with goals set by the Lisbon agenda,

H. whereas the objective of restricting global average temperature rise to a maximum of 2 °C above pre-industrialisation levels should also be established within the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol,

I. whereas, according to recent scientific reports, the risk of overshooting the +2°C limit is approximately 85 % with greenhouse gas concentrations stabilised at the level of 550 ppm (CO2-eq) and approximately 50 % at the level of 450 ppm; whereas these reports, therefore, emphasise that the world may have far less time to start reducing total greenhouse gas emissions than previously anticipated if it is to avoid going beyond an average global temperature increase of 2 °C above pre-industrialisation levels and thus avoid dangerous climate change; whereas this may necessitate deeper cuts in emissions in the near future, for all major emitters of greenhouse gases, thus strongly emphasising the importance of a wider global effort,

1. Welcomes the decision taken at Buenos Aires to hold a Seminar of Governmental Experts; regrets, however, that the 10th Conference of parties, in spite of the efforts of the EU delegation, only agreed a very narrow mandate for this meeting;

2. Strongly believes that the European Union should retain its leading role in international efforts to fight climate change; stresses that a three-prong approach will be necessary to underpin the EU's climate policy at home: yearly reductions in the energy intensity of the EU economy in the range of 2 to 2,5 %, a significant increase in the share of alternative energy in the overall energy mix and substantial increases in the support for R&D in sustainable energy; emphasises that the transportation sector presents a major challenge, and that new and innovative policies are needed to curb emissions from road transport, aviation and shipping, and urges the Commission to bring forward proposals for cost-effective measures to tackle these problems;

3. Welcomes the conclusions adopted by the Brussels European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005 and, in particular, the fact that reduction targets in the order of 15 to 30 % by 2020 for the group of developed countries have been agreed upon; regrets, however, that no indication was given by the European Council with regard to longer-term reduction targets and suggests that reductions in the order of 60 to 80 % by 2050 be required;

4. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to present, on behalf of the European Union, at the forthcoming Seminar of Governmental Experts proposals for a future regime which are consistent with the EU objective of maintaining the average global temperature increase below 2 °C above pre-industrialisation levels, implying that global greenhouse gas emissions would have to peak within the next two decades, and which respect the principles of equity, sustainability, responsibility and ability or capacity to act;

5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to put forward proposals for a future strategy buil-duing on the Kyoto Protocol and based on eco-innovation and development of environmental technologies, especially targeting the energy and transport sectors, and to give special priority to this within relevant policy initiatives such as the Environmental Technologies Action Plan, the seventh framework programme for research, etc.; efforts should be made to cooperate with various countries, notably the most advanced developing countries;

6. Insists that the Seminar of Governmental Experts focus on how to develop effective and appropriate responses to climate change within the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol for the period beyond 2012; asks that a written report on the results of the Seminar be published with a view to feeding back into the formal negotiations for the post-2012 commitment period which will start in 2005;

7. Believes that a future regime should be based on common but differentiated responsibilities, continued and greater emission reductions, and the involvement of more countries in the reduction effort, notably on the one hand the US, and on the other hand India and China and other advanced developing countries; urges the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to stress the necessity of climate protection when holding dialogues with international partners, especially the US, China and India;

8. Considers that internationally competing companies, in particular energy-intensive industries, require a sector approach to future international reduction targets in order to ensure an international level playing field; calls on the Commission and the Member States to incorporate such a sector approach in the discussions;

9. Recognises the possible threat of carbon leakage to more advanced developing countries;

10. Calls on the countries that have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol to do so as soon as possible; calls on the US and Australia to reconsider their decision not to participate and, as a first step, to respect their commitment under the UNFCCC to reduce their emissions to the 1990 level;

11. Calls on the Commission to take into account in any cost-benefit analyses of climate policies the possibility to adopt border adjustment measures on trade in order to offset any competitive advantage producers in industrialised countries without carbon constraints might have;

12. Insists on the need for increased financial assistance for adjustment measures in developing countries, with special attention for the least-developed countries; stresses, moreover, that economic development is a right for all developing countries; recognises, however, that developing countries do not have to repeat the same polluting practices as the industrialised countries, and that strong mechanisms should be developed by the EU, e.g. through the export credit agencies of EU Member States, to lend support to technology leap-frogging in the energy and transport sectors of developing countries in order to encourage low-carbon modes of development;

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make measurable progress towards a low-carbon economy; encourages the Member States to share experiences and best practices both among themselves and with states in other parts of the world;

14. Calls on the forthcoming UK and Austrian Presidencies to ensure that the momentum on climate change is maintained and even accelerated, whilst increasing the level of commitment and the number of international partners within the process;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Secretariat of the UNFCCC, with the request that it be circulated to all non-EU contracting parties.

[1] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0005.

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