Brussels, 30/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The UN's Rio de Janeiro summit on sustainable development (Rio+20) in June 2012 should set “accountable targets”, including global goals on renewable energy and energy efficiency. This was the wish expressed in the European Parliament resolution approved on Thursday 29 September, with 449 votes in favour, 103 against and 45 abstentions. The Parliament underlines that it is necessary to accurately assess the warnings on pressures related to climate change, biodiversity and natural resources, such as water, soil and forests. MEPs support the European Commission's call for a “Green Economy Roadmap” and stress that sustainable growth needs new measures and “accountable targets”, including global goals to increase renewable energy and energy efficiency. A narrow majority of MEPs meanwhile expressed their opposition to the exploitation of shale gas and tar sands.
The resolution calls for an end to environmentally harmful subsidies by 2020. MEPs also want to see an international tax on financial transactions - as proposed at EU level by the European Commission yesterday - to support climate and biodiversity protection in developing countries.
“We call on industrialised and developing countries to work together to reduce the global environmental footprint. Only firm action now will allow the world's growing population to share its limited natural resources fairly and sustainably in the future”, said Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany), the chair of the European Parliament's environment committee.
The EU will submit a unified position to the UN by the beginning of November, after which international negotiations will lead into the Rio de Janeiro summit in June 2012. (OL/transl.fl)