UN climate talks
Paris Agreement temperature goal means phasing out fossil fuels by 2050
Commenting on the outcome of the COP21 UN climate summit in Paris, Green climate change spokesperson Yannick Jadot MEP said:
“This Paris Agreement will begin a new international regime of cooperation on climate change and point the direction for the transformation of economies around the world. The commitment to limit the increase in global temperature to well below 2 degrees and pursue a 1.5 degree limit is a breakthrough, which de facto implies the end for the fossil fuel-based economy.
“The tools in the agreement are not sufficient to guarantee the achievement of this temperature goal and we remain on track for a 3 degrees increase. However, the commitment to regularly and scientifically review countries’ efforts provides an opportunity to close this gap. Civil society, local authorities and climate-friendly business will have a major role to play in forcing national governments to significantly increase their level of ambition and make the new Paris regime truly binding. The international stocktaking in 2018 must be effectively used to improve the current pledges for countries’ commitments before they are submitted in 2020 to prevent the low ambition being maintained until 2030.”
Green climate change spokesperson Bas Eickhout MEP added:
“The implications of this agreement for Europe are clear: the EU needs to reassess its climate and energy targets for 2020 and 2030. The EU has promised to increase its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target to 30% if there is global action on climate change; this condition has now been met. Achieving the goals set out in this agreement for limiting the increase in global temperature means developed countries need to decarbonise their economies before 2050.
“As an important step to this end, the EU’s malfunctioning emissions trading scheme must be fixed and this means finally and comprehensively addressing the oversupply of emissions permits. The European Parliament must ensure the surplus emissions permits from the trading periods up to 2020 are not carried over to the post-2020 phase of the ETS until 2030. This is essential to comply with commitments under the Paris Agreement."
