By 29 votes to 19 with 3 abstentions, the European Parliament's environment committee on Wednesday 10 October called on the EU to raise its level of climate ambition by 2020 and 2030, in order to take into account the IPCC's special report on the impacts of an average global warming of 1.5° Celsius. This level of ambition was not to the liking of the EPP and ECR Groups.
The draft resolution on COP 24 in Katowice (3-14 December), which was adopted, stresses that the commitments currently on the table would lead to an increase in the global average temperature of 3.2 degrees C, far from the least ambitious objective of the Paris Agreement, which aims to remain well below 2 degrees C.
To avoid irreversible climate change, the text calls on all parties – including the EU – to update their nationally determined contribution (NDC) by 2020 to close the gap between commitments and what is required to match 2° and move towards 1.5°, in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
Bearing in mind that at the end of the political phase of the Talanoa dialogue, COP 24 will provide an opportunity for an initial assessment of the efforts leading to the recovery of the NDCs in 2020, they call on the Commission and the member states to prepare their contribution for the provisional pre-2020 assessment to be made at COP 24.
They also propose that the EU raise its 2030 target to 55%, given that its new energy efficiency and renewable energy targets already achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 45%.
However, MEPs point out that in the absence of comparable efforts by major emerging economies, measures will be needed to prevent carbon leakage and preserve the competitiveness of European industry.
MEPs also call for the share of the 2021-2027 budget dedicated to climate action to be increased to 30% as soon as possible and for the EU to establish a specific public funding mechanism to take its fair share of the $100 billion per year promised to developing countries from 2020.
The European Parliament will vote at the plenary session from 22 to 25 October. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)