Brussels, 19/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Global climate change is not just an obvious environmental issue, which is already having an effect, but also a question of development and a major security challenge, making it necessary for the EU to have a real climate diplomacy made up of three parts, the EU foreign ministers affirmed on Monday 18 July.
The unanimous conclusions adopted by the Council, presided over by Catherine Ashton, call on the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and on the European Commission to pursue political reflection on these three aspects and to also take into account energy supply security when finalising this diplomacy. In the meantime, with the failure of the Copenhagen summit in mind, the Council considers the “time has come to further step up efforts on climate diplomacy to address climate change” at every level and with all partners and groups of key countries in order to give more clout to the voice and work of the EU at international level, especially with a view to the UN conference in Durban (COP 17, 28 Novemvber-9 December 2011).
Climate change must be tackled from the angle of its major effects on security, as it is a “threat multiplier, exacerbating tensions over land, water, food and energy prices, and creating migratory pressures and desertification. It is a threat to global growth, prosperity and stability”, the Council states. In order to prevent, rather than cure, the 27 EU member states consider that the EU must act immediately in order to “reduce systemic risks resulting from climate change before they trigger crises”, and that the main solution consists of developing a future global and comprehensive framework engaging all major economies in order to keep the temperature at the surface of the planet below 2° Celsius compared to the pre-industrial level - the aim sought in international climate talks - but also to move towards a low carbon economy and society “through multilateral as well as domestic action”. The Council also underlines that the adoption of energy measures in favour of the climate and economic development go hand in hand. (A.N./transl.jl)