Brussels, 22/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EU is expecting much of the world climate summit to be held in New York on Tuesday 23 September (on the opening of the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations) to provide fresh momentum to international negotiations on an ambitious, legally binding global climate agreement, to be concluded in Paris next year (COP 21, December 2015). European Commission President José Manuel Barroso will urge the 120 leaders present to step up their efforts and to present their contributions, capable of delivering the commitment subscribed to by the international community of maintaining the rise in the average temperature of the surface of the planet to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.
The EU offer has long been on the table (a binding 20% reduction in emissions by 2020 compared with 1990, or 30% if the other major economies agree to similar efforts). The final European Council decision on the climate/energy framework for action till 2030 is expected at the European Council meeting on 23-24 October (a binding reduction of at least 40% in greenhouse gas emissions by national efforts alone, 27% of renewable energy as the European objective and 30% energy savings). The analysis of the offers made in New York will be decisive in allowing the EU to present its specific objective till 2030 before 31 March 2015 (see EUROPE 11123 and 11110).
European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard who has been in New York since Saturday, chaired an informal ministerial round table meeting to take stock of progress in international talks, and, on Sunday and Monday, took part in the Major Economies Forum. Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs will also take part in this summit which the EU hopes will allow the industrialised countries to provide reassurance to developing countries.
At the New York summit, announcements by heads of state and/or government will be followed by announcements from the private sector and the launch of new initiatives in the main areas for action by coalitions of governments, business and civil society organisations;
NGOs seeking climate justice. Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is concerned that “world leaders fiddle while the planet burns”. It fears that the one-day summit will result only in vague promises. “What we urgently need are equitable and binding carbon reductions, not flimsy voluntary ones”, it argues. FoEI is calling, inter alia, for a total phase out of carbon emissions by 2050 to reverse current warming trends and minimise the chance of irreversible damage, and wants an urgent commitment by the industrialised nations to reduce their domestic emissions without what it calls false solutions, such as off-sets. (AN)