Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) debated on Monday 21 June a draft European Parliament resolution ahead of the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26), to be held in Glasgow from 1-12 November.
The paper includes a recommendation that the European Commission “explore links and other forms of cooperation with existing carbon markets in third countries and regions” and encourage the creation of new carbon markets or other equivalent mechanisms to “accelerate cost-efficient emissions reductions worldwide”, while reducing the risk of carbon leakage.
While one of the problematic issues in the negotiations between the parties at COP26 is the definition of rules for greenhouse gas emissions trading between countries (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement), the draft resolution urges all parties to conclude this issue as well as those of the transparency of the Paris Agreement (to verify that countries are meeting their commitments) and a common timetable for climate targets.
Raising climate ambition
More generally, the text calls on all parties to COP26, in particular the EU and all G20 countries, to step up their efforts and update their ‘nationally determined contributions’ (NDCs) and commit to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
It adds, “the Parties should be encouraged to include emissions from international shipping and aviation in their NDCs”.
Climate finance
MEPs also criticise the fact that developed countries’ climate finance commitments—to help developing countries cope with climate change—fall far short of the collective target of $100 billion per year until 2025.
Calling for this gap to be closed, the paper stresses that emerging economies should contribute to increased climate finance from 2025.
Other items
The text also calls for the phasing out of all direct and indirect fossil fuel subsidies in the EU and globally, while stressing the importance of strengthening adaptation to climate change.
Asking to “be an integral part of the EU delegation” for COP26, MEPs also express concern about the impact that travel and other restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic could have on fair and balanced participation in the COP.
This draft resolution will now be subject to amendments. It will then be voted on in the ENVI Committee on 27 September, with a view to adoption by the whole Parliament at the first plenary session in October.
See the draft resolution: https://bit.ly/3cYGpN2 (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)