EU sticks to conditional emissions cuts of 30 per cent
Greenwise Staff
28th January 2010
The European Union today re-affirmed its commitment to the Copenhagen Accord and said it remained committed to reducing emissions by 30 per cent – but only on condition that other major emitters contribute with comparable reductions.
The commitment was made in a joint letter to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by the Spanish Presidency of the Council and the European Commission.
The letter marks the EU's formal submission on its emission targets as required by the Copenhagen Accord by January 31 2010.
In the letter, the EU expressed its support for a legally binding agreement to replace the existing Kyoto Protocol, which runs out in 2012. It also noted in the communication its unilateral commitment to reduce emissions by 20 per cent as compared with 1990 levels.
Elena Espinosa, Minister of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, said: "We are already working together with our partners in order to make operational the elements of the Copenhagen Accord as soon as possible and to pave the way for a successful Conference of the Parties to be held in November in Mexico.”
Commenting on today's announcement by the EU, the UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband said it was important that Europe and the UK did not lose the momentum that had been generated over the last few months. “Today’s decision to keep the offer to move to 30 per cent demonstrates the EU’s commitment to maintaining a strong signal to the world on the urgency to act on climate change," he said. "The goal of moving to 30 per cent has always been and remains conditional on others showing similar ambition. We must now continue to push for bold cuts in emissions beyond the 31st deadline."
The Copenhagen Accord, agreed by the US, China, India, South Africa and Brazil behind closed doors at the UN Summit on Climate Change last month, has been widely criticised for recognising the scientific case for keeping temperature rises to no more than two degrees Celsius, but not containing commitments to emissions reductions by countries to hit that goal.
Today the EU said the countries supporting the Copenhagen Accord accounted for more than 80 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions and their willingness to act was "a very important milestone that should be strengthening and updated according to science".