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Climate Action
News article15 May 2015Directorate-General for Climate Action

Building political momentum towards a strong global climate deal

EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete and Norway's Climate and Environment Minister Tine Sundtoft will co-host an informal round table discussion on climate change in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday 17 May. The meeting will provide

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EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete and Norway's Climate and Environment Minister Tine Sundtoft will co-host an informal round table discussion on climate change in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday 17 May. The meeting will provide an opportunity for partner countries to discuss shared priorities in the run up to the adoption of a new global climate deal in Paris this December.

Commissioner Arias Cañete said: "The Paris climate conference is just seven months away. We need to ensure it delivers an agreement that will bend the global emissions curve downwards. That means contributions to the new agreement must be as ambitious as possible and cover the broadest geographical area. If this agreement is going to make a difference to the climate, we need the whole world fully on board. We cannot fight climate change on our own. That is something we can only do together."

Ministers and high-level representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific Islands will join the discussions. Mary Robinson, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Climate Change and Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will also participate.

The EU is seeking a legally binding agreement applicable to all countries containing fair and ambitious commitments from all Parties based on evolving global economic and geopolitical circumstances. Together, these commitments − based on scientific evidence − should put the world on track to reduce global emissions by at least 60% below 2010 levels by 2050.

To be robust and dynamic, the agreement needs to deliver common rules for transparency and accountability, with systems to monitor, report and verify progress towards meeting targets. It must also be capable of keeping the world on track to its goal of holding the global temperature increase below 2°C. All emissions reductions commitments should be reviewed and strengthened every five years in light of latest scientific data and progress made on targets.

The agreement will also need to include stronger and more contemporary provisions for international cooperation in the area of adaptation and different forms of support to countries most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Details

Publication date
15 May 2015
Author
Directorate-General for Climate Action