Brussels, 04/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 3 December in Brussels, Miguel Arias Cañete, the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, said that he was encouraged by the “determined optimism” displayed at the climate conference in Lima (COP 20) where he will travel to next week (8-12 December). Nonetheless, he urged all the different parties, especially the countries most responsible for emissions, to help the negotiations succeed because time is running out (EUROPE 11208, 11205, 11198 and 11186).
He informed the press that, “the countdown to Paris has begun. We have barely a year to reach an international agreement that is solid, legally binding and geared to the future, which takes into account the different geopolitical and economic situations and science. 12 months is not much. This agreement must include all countries, particularly those most responsible for emissions”. He highlighted the importance of making, “transparent, quantifiable and comparable” commitments. The Commissioner stressed that with the objective for reducing the EU's emissions by at least 40% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2030; it would be on target for reaching a reduction of between 80% and 95% by 2050. He also believed that the agreement between China and the US was a good omen and hoped that it would encourage other countries to make commitments on targets as soon as possible. He pointed out that the EU had made a collective commitment to paying $4.6 billion out of the Green Fund for the Climate's $9.7 billion to developing countries. (AN)