EU foreign affairs ministers agreed today to put climate objectives at heart of EU security and foreign policies. CAN Europe welcomes the initiative and calls on EU diplomats to lead the fight to achieve deeper emission cuts to limit warming to below 1.5°C in line with the Paris Agreement.
Ministers stressed the need to “reinvigorate EU Climate Diplomacy, taking into account the latest developments and changing geopolitical landscape”. The aim of this new diplomatic offensive is to support implementation of the Paris Agreement, translate climate pledges into action in all sectors of economy and highlight positive economic impact of the low-carbon transition. EU diplomats want to focus their efforts in G20 countries – accounting for some 80% of global emissions.
Commenting on the initiative, Ulriikka Aarnio, International Climate Policy Coordinator at CAN Europe said:
“Ramping up European climate diplomacy is extremely important now, with the Trump administration distancing itself from global climate action. The EU must use its huge diplomatic network to strengthen its alliances with countries like China, India and Canada and deepen cooperation on issues such as long-term zero-emissions development strategies and putting a fair price on carbon.
Implementing the Paris Agreement would take us a long way to enhancing our security, but to reach the 1.5°C and zero goals agreed in Paris all countries will need to revise their climate targets well before 2020. This should be the key element of the EU’s climate diplomacy: ensuring that the implementation of Paris starts quickly, and that all countries prepare to revise their 2030 targets still before 2020.”
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Ania Drazkiewicz, CAN Europe Communications Coordinator, ania@caneurope.org, +32 494 525 738
Notes:
EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on EU climate and energy diplomacy: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/06-climate-energy-diplomacy/
CAN Europe letter to Foreign Affairs Ministers ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council on 6 March: https://caneurope.org/publications/letters-to-policy-makers/1330-letter-to-foreign-affairs-ministers-on-climate-diplomacy
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 130 member organisations in more than 30 European countries – representing over 44 million citizens – CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable climate and energy policy in Europe.
