On Monday 26 June, the MEPs on the Environment Committee were asked to examine a motion for a resolution outlining the European Parliament’s position and recommendations working towards COP28, to be held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) in the autumn.
The text, submitted by Portuguese MEP Lídia Pereira (EPP), focuses on the first global assessment and stresses the need for all parties to increase their nationally determined contributions in order to close the “emissions gap” and the “implementation gap”.
MEPs are also urging the establishment of an operational financing mechanism for loss and damage linked to climate change.
They also call for fair access and full participation of citizens and civil society organisations at COP28, and stress the need to protect the UNFCCC decision-making process from conflicts of interest. Mohammed Chahim (S&D, Dutch) said: “The appointment of Sultan Al-Jaber as Chairman was not the best start, but now we have to work together and avoid conflicts of interest in the future”.
The motion for a resolution emphasises the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to stimulate the deployment of renewable energies. It is also calling for interim climate targets to be set for the European Union, in line with the European Climate Law.
The financing of the fight against climate change is also addressed, with a call for the target of $100 billion in climate financing to be reached and disbursed on the given schedule. The text also stresses the need to overhaul the international financial system and to align financial flows with the trajectory of the Paris Agreement.
The protection of biodiversity, ecosystems, soils and oceans is considered essential to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement, as pointed out by Slovak MEP Martin Hojsík (Renew Europe). He also stressed the need to create opportunities for SMEs. “It’s about combining entrepreneurial freedom with climate protection”, he said.
Green/EFA MEP Pär Holmgren (Swedish) also stressed the need to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss at the same time: “I’m not sure that COP28 will live up to expectations”.
Other aspects addressed in the motion for a resolution include a scientific assessment of the progress made in reducing methane emissions and gender equality in the face of climate change. The importance of protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and environmentalists is also taken into account. The text will be put to the vote in the Environment Committee on 27 June.
The proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/7qy (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)