European Parliament resolution on the European Union strategy for the Nairobi Conference on Climate Change (COP 12 and COP/MOP 2)
Date: 2006-10-26
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: climate change, deforestation, energy technology, greenhouse gas, international conference, reduction of gas emissions, the EU's international role

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday 26 October 2006

— draw the attention of Syria to the importance of its potential role in the Near and Middle East for the
peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region; address the concerns over provision by Syria of support
to Damascus-based Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad at the expense of moderate
Palestinian forces seeking coexistence and peace with Israel;

— call on the Syrian Government to improve the living and environmental conditions of Palestinian

refugee camps in Syria in accordance with international human rights standards;

— call on the Syrian Government to release Yacoub Hanna Shamoun, an Assyrian Christian who has been

incarcerated for over twenty years without due process or a release date in the near future;

— exercise caution in the repatriation to Syria of immigrants and refugees belonging to religious mino-
rities as long as repression continues; and, in any event, improve coordination of the different Member
States' national approaches to this issue;

— call for support for a dialogue between Syria and the European Parliament on these various points, so
as to go forward with the cooperation between the EU and Syria with the expectation of signing the
association agreement;

Requests the Council to consider additional

6.
incentives and benefits for Syria, going beyond those
granted through the association agreement, in order to encourage Syria to review its current foreign policy
and regional alignment in ways that will help promote regional peace, stability and prosperity and,
in
particular, recognition of the State of Israel's right to exist and support by Syria for progress in the Middle
East peace process;

7.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution containing the European Parliament's recommenda-
tion to the Council, the Commission and the Government and Majlis al-Sha'ab of the Syrian Arab Republic.

P6_TA(2006)0460

Nairobi Conference on Climate Change

European Parliament resolution on the European Union strategy for the Nairobi Conference on
Climate Change (COP 12 and COP/MOP 2)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to the
Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC and to the application procedures for its implementation adopted at
the Conferences of Parties in Bonn (July 2001), Marrakesh (October and November 2001), New Delhi
(October and November 2002), Milan (December 2003), Buenos Aires (December 2004) and Montreal
(November and December 2005),

— having regard to the forthcoming twelfth Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UNFCCC and the
second Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/
MOP 2) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 6 to 17 November 2006,

— having regard to its previous resolutions regarding climate change, and in particular

those of
16 November 2005 on ‘Winning the Battle against Global Climate Change’ (1), of 18 January 2006
on the outcome of the Montreal Conference (COP 11-COP/MOP 1) (2) and of 4 July 2006 on ‘Reducing
the Climate Change Impact of Aviation’ (3),

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0433.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0019.
(3) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0296.

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— having regard to Oral Question B6-0440/2006 by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health
and Food Safety tabled pursuant to Rule 108 of its Rules of Procedure and having regard to the state-
ments by the Council and the Commission,

— having regard to the latest scientific findings, including recent reports on the melting of the Greenland
ice sheet, the Arctic perennial sea ice and the permafrost in Siberia, as well as new findings on the
extent of sea-level rise caused by climate change,

— having regard to the Finnish Presidency's published priority on forests,

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

A. whereas full implementation, by all Parties, of the UNFCCC and of the Kyoto Protocol is fundamental
for tackling climate change, even though the measures will not be truly effective until a global solution
is found which includes the large economic blocs responsible for the bulk of polluting emissions,

B. whereas the eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the UNFCCC and the first Conference of
the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 1) meeting in Mon-
treal in November and December 2005 decided to initiate a process to consider further commitments
by Annex I Parties for the post-2012 period and to engage in a dialogue to exchange experiences and
analyse strategic approaches for long-term cooperative action on climate change, establishing a
UNFCCC workshop on reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries,

C. whereas new technologies will be essential for tackling climate change in a cost-effective manner with a

new focus on increased energy efficiency,

D. whereas further targets need to be set soon in order to avoid climate change running out of control
and to provide sufficient incentives for rapid investment in the further development and installation of
renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, and whereas investment in energy infrastructure
which is incompatible with climate policy targets must be avoided,

E. whereas greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase in many Member States, showing that strong
action, redefined measures and new initiatives are needed for the European Union to be able to meet its
Kyoto obligations,

F. whereas the contribution of aviation to climate change is substantial and growing rapidly while inter-
national aviation is not subject to any commitment arising from the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol,

G. whereas the latest scientific evidence suggests that limiting warming to +2°C might not be sufficient to

secure the UNFCCC goal of avoiding dangerous climate change,

H. whereas in its above-mentioned resolution of 16 November 2005 the European Parliament stated
that strong emission reductions — 30 % by 2020 and 60-80 % by 2050 — are to be undertaken by
developed countries,

I. whereas 24 % of greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 were due to burning of forests and the latest
scientific evidence from Amazonia demonstrates the impact of the reduction of forest cover and the
weakening of the ‘forest pump’ on the climate, leading to the increased intensity of hurricanes originat-
ing from the southern North Atlantic and a reduction in rainfall
in southern Brazil, Uruguay and
Argentina,

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J. whereas Council Conclusions will also be drawn up on the EU's preparations for the forthcoming
session of the United Nations Forum on Forests, which will, it is hoped, approve a global forest pro-
tection instrument,

Thursday 26 October 2006

K. whereas energy security and climate security must go hand in hand, and whereas Europe's energy and
climate security depend to a large extent on the choices made by large economies such as China and
India; whereas climate change mitigation can only be effective if developing countries — in particular
large and rapidly-growing economies such as China and India — are actively involved in efforts to curb
greenhouse gas emissions,

1.
Urges the European Union to maintain its leading role in the negotiations at the COP 12-COP/MOP 2
Conference in Nairobi, and to maintain a high level of ambition in future discussions with its international
partners;

2.
Insists that on that occasion the European Union put forward an ambitious agenda for the discussions
on further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, for the new discussions regarding
the review of that Protocol, and for the UNFCCC dialogue on long-term cooperative action;

Recalls that, as set out in its above-mentioned resolution of 16 November 2005, the EU strategy on

3.
climate change should be based on a seven-pronged approach:

— building on key Kyoto elements — binding greenhouse gas emission targets, a global cap and trade

system and flexible mechanisms,

— undertaking strong emission reductions of 30 % by 2020, with a view to achieving a reduction in the
order of 80 % by 2050, by using a combination of market incentives and regulation to stimulate
investments in efficiency and carbon-free and low-carbon technologies,

— adopting a pro-active approach to engage other main actors, in particular the United States,

— developing a strategic energy partnership with countries such as China, India, South Africa, Brazil and
Mexico to financially assist them in developing sustainable energy strategies benefiting from carbon-free
and low-carbon energy sources and thereby securing their participation in climate change mitigation
efforts,

— vigorously promoting research and innovation for sustainable energy technologies by facilitating best
practice exchange between the Member States as well as universities, research centres and industry, and
removing ‘perverse’ incentives such as fossil fuel subsidies, as well as internalising external costs, includ-
ing those of climate change, into the price of energy production,

— using European and national legislation to stimulate greater energy efficiency and reduce the price of

technology which reduces climate impact,

— encouraging much greater direct involvement in mitigation efforts at the level of the citizen, through
awareness-raising campaigns, a necessary prerequisite being the provision of detailed information on the
carbon content of products such as cars, aircrafts, houses and services and a future option being a
system of personal tradable quotas;

4.
Recalls its request that there should be no gap between the first and the second commitment period
under the Kyoto Protocol and that the end of 2008 should be the time limit for reaching agreement on
future climate commitments;

Recalls its support for the continuing use of flexible mechanisms, and for the long-term goal of a

5.
global carbon market based on cap and trade;

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Calls on the Parties to COP 12-COP/MOP 2 to address the climate change impact of international
the

6.
aviation and calls for a discussion on a global
COP 12-COP/MOP 2 Conference in Nairobi;

the upcoming negotiations at

tax on flights at

7.
Considers that industrialised countries must continue to play a vital role in tackling climate change at
world level; calls, therefore, on Annex I Parties to meet their existing commitments and to take on ambi-
tious targets for a second commitment period after 2012; calls, moreover, on those industrialised countries
that have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol to reconsider their position, to take vigorous domestic measures
and to play an active role in future international negotiations, with a view to their participation in the future
climate change regime;

8.
Stresses that economic development is a right for all developing countries; emphasises, however, that
developing countries do not have to repeat the polluting practices of the industrialised countries, and calls
therefore for increased attention to be paid to technology cooperation and capacity building in the field of
sustainable energy;

Calls on the Council and the Commission to make access to efficient and low-carbon energy technol-

9.
ogies a priority within EU development cooperation;

10.
Emphasises the key importance of engaging the rapidly industrialising developing countries in a
future international climate change regime, while fully respecting their vital concerns about promoting
their economic development and fighting poverty;

11. Welcomes the work of the UNFCCC Workshop on reducing emissions from deforestation in devel-
oping countries, most recently at its meeting in Rome from 30 August to 1 September 2006, and notes the
broad agreement achieved on the need for payments for eco-system services and urges the rapid inclusion of
avoided deforestation, as a contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in the second
commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol;

12.
Notes that Africa and other developing regions should be able to participate in the reduction of
global greenhouse gas emissions and that international negotiations should include incentives to avoid
deforestation; furthermore, calls on Member States to engage in sustainable clean development mechanism
forestry projects;

13.
Believes that in order to effectively tackle climate change global climate policy needs to create a level
playing field for industry, thus encouraging innovations and energy efficiency and avoiding carbon leakage;
suggests therefore, that global performance standards and targets be created for different activities, including
consumer products and transportation at global level;

14.
Stresses that the impact of climate change upon society must be better understood; calls on the
Commission therefore to examine how to best organise workshops — in Europe and elsewhere with rele-
vant stakeholders such as citizen groups, industry, farming communities, security experts and economists —
to better understand the consequences of climate change in more detail;

15.
Insists that individual Member States, and the European Union as a whole, live up to their existing
commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and the burden sharing agreement, since the EU's leading position
in international talks will be undermined if this cannot be achieved;

16.
Believes that the EU delegation plays an important role in these negotiations on climate change, and
therefore finds it unacceptable that the members of the European Parliament part of that delegation were
unable to attend the EU coordination meetings at the previous Conference of the Parties; expects the Euro-
pean Parliament participants to have access to such meetings in Nairobi, on the basis at least of observer
status, with or without speaking rights;

17.
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 United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, with the request that it be circulated to all non-EU contracting parties.