On Thursday 16 September, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union sent the Member States draft conclusions to prepare for the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26), which will be held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November.
Stressing the need for “much more global ambition ” to keep the +1.5°C warming target within reach (in line with the Paris Agreement), the Slovenian document includes a call for “all parties (at COP26) to come forward with ambitious national targets and policies”.
In particular, it urges “major economies that have not yet done so” to submit ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by COP26 and also to submit long-term strategies for achieving zero net emissions by 2050.
It added: "All parties, especially the major emitters, must increase their short- and long-term ambitions and enhance climate action, including through the use of carbon pricing”.
The Presidency also proposes to express the Council’s determination to “agree on a common time frame or time frames for all Parties’ NDCs that will be implemented from 2031 onwards”. The text then mentions two options: (1) a single common five-year timetable for all NDCs; (2) a single common 10-year timetable for all NDCs.
The document also recognises the need to urgently step up efforts to adapt to climate change, in addition to emission reductions. It also plans to call on other countries to step up the mobilisation of international climate finance, which currently falls short of the target (see other news).
The draft conclusions will be submitted to the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) in view of the Environment Ministers’ meeting on 6 October 2021.
Read the document: https://bit.ly/3tQ1ikw (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)