Only a few weeks left for EU to up their climate game

“The EU risks sidelining other important players, including developing countries, in their misguided efforts to reach a deal – any deal – with the US.”
Ulriikka Aarnio
CAN-Europe Senior Policy Officer
Published: 9 October 2009

An intact Kyoto Protocol, ambitious reduction targets and money on the table are biggest sticking points as Bangkok session ends.

As the second to last negotiations before Copenhagen draw to a close in Bangkok, three big sticking points remain. These issues show a lack of willingness of the EU and other industrialised countries to find common ground with developing countries by committing to adequate climate finance, ambitious reduction targets and defending an intact Kyoto Protocol, currently the only instrument for delivering measurable emissions reductions on an international level and now one of developing countries’ bottom lines.

“This week has seen the EU losing sight of their climate goals,” said Ulriikka Aarnio, CAN-Europe Senior Policy Officer.  “The EU risks sidelining other important players, including developing countries, in their misguided efforts to reach a deal – any deal – with the US,” she continued. “The EU’s waffling stance on the Kyoto Protocol is not helpful in this process.”

While some progress was made in Bangkok consolidating the previously bloated negotiating text, none was made on important political issues. Now that the meeting is over, all eyes look toward the next few weeks in Brussels to see if EU ministers will lead the way forward on climate. The first of the three critical high level EU meetings this month will occur on 20th October, when Finance Ministers have the chance to improve the Commission’s recent first stab at a proposal for climate finance. CAN hopes to see the EU offer €35 billion in annual public finance.

Yesterday Norway upped the ante at the negotiations as they met CAN’s demand to pledge an emissions reduction of at least 40% by 2020.

“At the Council meetings this month, the EU has the momentum to up their climate game and Norway’s new target announcement yesterday shows them how it can be done,” Aarnio concluded.

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