EU will fulfil its pioneering role
On the occasion of today's Environment Council in Brussels, Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen said: "We have met today to join forces in fighting against failure in Copenhagen. The international community must make an extraordinary joint effort to steer a new course and stop climate change. This is about saving millions of people and preventing natural disasters and refugee tragedies. There is no alternative to success in Copenhagen. Europe is ready. We are saying: A decision must be made in Copenhagen. All countries have to agree on an ambitious and binding political decision."
Minister Röttgen explained that the success of Copenhagen could be measured: "We need binding decisions in all key areas." This includes the target of limiting global temperature rise to less than 2° Celsius in the long term; ambitious emissions reduction goals for industrialised countries and ambitious contributions from developing countries; concrete commitments to financial support for developing countries. And it includes a robust and transparent system for implementing and controlling the agreements adopted. This decision will then have to be converted into a legal agreement next year.
Federal Environment Minister Röttgen added: "We want a decision that gets everyone on board. There can be no exceptions. Yet we also believe that industrialised countries will have to bear the main burden of emissions reduction and financial support, because they are also mainly responsible."
Röttgen explained that the power of negotiations was founded in credibility. The EU has this credibility because it has already implemented its unilateral climate protection target of 20% by 2020 through legislation. "Our offer of raising our goal to 30%, provided an ambitious decision is made, means that we have taken another step forward without waiting for others to catch up. Australia and Japan have followed our lead of ambitious targets. Now, other countries have to step up their efforts."
The same applies to the financial support for developing countries. "The EU is aware that it will have to make a noteworthy contribution to a fast-start funding. The European Council named 5 to 7 billion euros per year as a global benchmark. To me, it seems appropriate for the EU to be prepared to take over a fair share of one third of this sum.
In Copenhagen we have to launch an agreement that will work. If we allow loopholes it will not develop any strength. We then not only endanger our climate but also the economic momentum we need to restructure our economic activities", said Minister Röttgen with regard to the system for crediting and monitoring emissions reductions.
Background:
The Environment Council held an extraordinary meeting in Brussels today. The only item on the agenda was preparing the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December 2009. The Council will not adopt formal decisions.
In its decisions of the European Council on 29/30 October 2009 and of the Environment Council on 21 October 2009, the EU had already updated and specified its position for the Climate Conference.