On Tuesday 7 November, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) voted by a significant majority (56 in favour, 9 against and one abstention) for a resolution setting out their expectations for the 28th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP28). The 44 compromise amendments were adopted.
The event, to be held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), will be attended by a European parliamentary delegation from 8 to 12 December.
The resolution stresses the urgent need to put an end to all subsidies for fossil fuels, identified as the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for more than 75% of global emissions. MEPs are calling on the EU and its Member States to eliminate all direct and indirect subsidies to fossil fuels by 2025. They also call on governments around the world to follow suit, pointing out that fossil fuel subsidies reached a record high of more than €900 billion in 2022.
In line with the position voted by the Member States (see EUROPE 13273/5), MEPs recommend tripling renewable energy production and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. They also advocate a concrete reduction in the use of fossil fuels by halting all new investment in their extraction.
The resolution also addresses the need for developed countries to honour their commitment to finance the fight against climate change to the tune of $100 billion a year from 2023, and to set a new financial target for the period after 2025. MEPs also want a specific European public funding mechanism to be put in place to ensure that the EU’s financial commitments on climate change are met.
For MEPs, COP28 must make operational a fund dedicated to the loss and damage caused by climate change and ensure that the main emitters, including the Member States, contribute fairly to this fund. This delicate subject, initiated by COP27, is on the way to an agreement, following the preliminary meetings held last week in Abu Dhabi (see EUROPE 13286/11).
In addition to these measures, the resolution emphasises the need to restore biodiversity, affirming that achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement also involves restoring nature. MEPs stress the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring ecosystems such as soils, forests, freshwater basins and oceans.
Finally, the adoption of global measures in various sectors is advocated, notably in the fight against plastic pollution, the environmental impact of the textile industry, methane emissions and those from international shipping, aviation, agriculture and defence.
The resolution will be put to a final vote at the plenary session from 20 to 23 November.
Compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/9ez ; https://aeur.eu/f/9f0 ; https://aeur.eu/f/9f1 ; https://aeur.eu/f/9f2 ; https://aeur.eu/f/9f3 ; https://aeur.eu/f/9f4 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)