Brussels, 26/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Union has welcomed the proposed American national action plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change and take the lead in global efforts to fight it, as laid out by President Barack Obama in the speech on climate change he gave on the evening of Tuesday 25 June at Georgetown University.
“Using less dirty energy, carrying out the transition to cleaner sources of energy, wasting less energy throughout our economy is what we must aim to do”, said the President, who has asked the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish carbon emission limits for existing and new electricity power stations, and acknowledges the need to “develop smarter, more resilient infrastructure” to adapt to climate change, which has already exposed certain communities to powerful storm conditions and caused sea levels to rise.
This was music to European ears. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, immediately welcomed this announcement, describing it as extremely hopeful for the outcome of international climate negotiations which have entered a decisive phase, on the binding global climate agreement to be concluded in 2015, to enter into force in 2020.
“The plans set out today are positive steps that will create further momentum for international climate action”, said Barroso, pointing out that the EU already has ambitious legislation in place and that it is now preparing for the next stage: an integrated framework for the climate and energy by 2030. “Finding global solutions to the climate challenge is a shared responsibility. They can only be reached on the basis of leadership from all the world's major economies. President Obama's announcement will help give the world confidence that it's possible to win this fight, if we fight it together”, he said.
Good intentions to be translated into concrete action, says Connie Hedegaard, who is “glad to see that the United States is finally moving on climate”, but pragmatically waiting for action. “After a number of important speeches from President Obama and Secretary Kerry, Europe has been eagerly waiting for the US to set out concrete steps. So this plan is a most welcome step forward and, if implemented, it can put the US on a path towards a low-carbon future”, she said. She went on to stress that “internationally, the White House plan contains a number of good intentions which have now to be translated into more concrete action. The first opportunity will be for the US to support an ambitious deal this September in ICAO on a global solution to limit international aviation emissions. And by 2015, a robust US commitment to reduce its domestic emissions over the longer term as part of the binding climate treaty”.
She takes the view that “this announcement from Washington, and growing signs of domestic action in China and elsewhere, are positive signals that the world is finally moving on climate”. (AN/transl.fl)