C 498/30
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
30.12.2022
Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions — Towards a structural inclusion of Cities and Regions in UNFCCC COP 27
(2022/C 498/06)
Rapporteur:
Alison GILLILAND (IE/PES), Dublin City Councillor
Reference document:
Outlook opinion
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS (CoR),
Providing an urgent, large-scale response to the climate emergency by effectively coupling adaptation and mitigation measures through multilevel action 1. is deeply concerned about the findings of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which highlights how climate hazards have substantially damaged ecosystems across the globe, further confirming that many of the impacts of climate change are already irreversible; takes note of the evidence included in the report, highlighting how current climate adaptation measures are often ineffective due to insufficient finance and poor planning, which could be addressed through more inclusive governance;
2. highlights that the IPCC reports recognise local and regional authorities (LRAs) as key actors in delivering adaptation and mitigation solutions; reiterates that LRAs are responsible for implementing 70 % of climate mitigation measures and 90 % of climate adaptation measures (1); underlines how solutions must be provided by and in cooperation with LRAs as direct responses to climate change threats which impact villages, towns, cities and their wider regions, all with their own particular climate context; highlights that more than one billion people in low-lying settlements face hazards such as sea-level rise, subsiding coasts, or flooding at high tides, while 350 million urban residents live with the threat of water scarcity globally;
3. refers in this regard to the COP 26 agreement to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 oC above pre-industrial levels (2) and calls for swifter implementation of climate measures along with more financial support and guidance for LRAs;
4. reiterates its call to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to work in partnership with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) towards a consistent framework for climate neutrality and resilience, biodiversity protection and sustainable development, avoiding overlapping strategies; welcomes the Edinburgh Declaration on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (3), which provides an example of an inclusive ‘whole of government’ approach;
5. reiterates the role of the EU in showing leadership by acting on the European Green Deal to become the first climate neutral continent; stresses the importance of stepping up the EU’s efforts to effectively achieve climate neutrality by 2050 whilst systematically implementing the ‘do no harm’ principle, striving to avoid carbon lock-in and carbon leakage; welcomes the pathway set out by the European Climate Law and the Fit for 55 package and by targeted initiatives such as
(1) (2) (3)
Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions — The Green Deal in partnership with local and regional authorities (OJ C 79, 10.3.2020, p. 1).
Glasgow Climate Pact, Paragraph 15.
Edinburgh Declaration on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.