European Parliament: Climate Change: What kind of deal for poor countries?
Climate Change: What kind of deal for poor countries?
By 2020 developing countries are likely to face annual costs in relation to climate change of around €100 billion. The EU could provide up to 15 billion a year by then, said the European Commission. "Not enough", say most European Parliament Members (MEPs).
Global warming predictions from the IPCC 2007 report, through Wikimedia Commons
There is broad agreement among MEPs that rich nations must support developing countries and that financial commitments are essential for facilitating agreement at the Copenhagen UN climate change conference in December. But how much is needed and who should provide what?
During the plenary debate on Tuesday morning (20 October) German Christian Democrat, Karl-Heinz Florenz, speaking for the centre right European People's Party (EPP) warned not “to start a financial competition but rather we should develop criteria how to invest the money”.
Florenz, who previously was the head of the EP’s special committee on climate change, pointed out that tackling climate change was also an opportunity for industrialized countries. “If we devise standards in the industrialised countries we have a chance that we’ll be in a position to develop the right technologies that the rest of the world will need in the future”.
Former French environment minister Corinne Lepage, speaking for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), called on the EU to give a “real signal”, to come up with “additional aid” and to provide between € 5 to 6 billion per year from next year onwards and more than 35 billion by 2020.
Belgian Socialist Véronique De Keyser pointed out that climate change already today is responsible for 300,000 deaths and “that more than 90% of people affected are in developing countries”.
Climate change cause for migration
She stressed among other things, that the EU needs to tackle the problem of migration caused by climate change. “Environmental refugees need legal protection”, said De Keyser on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats (S&) in the European Parliament.
Development committee chair Eva Joly (Greens) also pointed to the migratory effects of climate change which “could lead to more than 200 million climate refugees by 2050”.
“It’s not about charity”
Joly contrasted the effects of climate change on developing countries with them contributing only 3% to global emissions. She called on EU member states, meeting end of October to hammer out an agreement on the EU’s financial commitment, to provide additional funding for developing countries' efforts in relation to climate change: “We are not talking about charity, we are talking about assuming our responsibility”.
Former European Parliament environment committee chair Miroslav Ouzký, a Czech member speaking for the European Conservatives and Reformists, praised the EU’s ambitious climate policy but warned that even the EU’s greatest efforts were worth nothing if the rest of the world continued on the current path.
Environment committee: No less then 30 billion by 2020
Current environment committee chair Jo Leinen (S&D) pointed out that those denying climate change were a very small minority among MEPs. He stressed the need for a global a comprehensive agreement, including all countries and encompassing a global “solidarity pact”.
Meeting on Monday evening in Strasbourg, the environment committee passed a draft resolution, saying that the “collective contribution by the EU towards developing countries' mitigation efforts and adaptation needs should not be less than €30 billion per annum by 2020”.
Want to know more? You can download specific speeches of the debate here. A video recording will soon be available here. More on the environment committee vote regarding the EU’s position for Copenhagen here.
During the plenary debate on Tuesday morning (20 October) German Christian Democrat, Karl-Heinz Florenz, speaking for the centre right European People's Party (EPP) warned not “to start a financial competition but rather we should develop criteria how to invest the money”.
Florenz, who previously was the head of the EP’s special committee on climate change, pointed out that tackling climate change was also an opportunity for industrialized countries. “If we devise standards in the industrialised countries we have a chance that we’ll be in a position to develop the right technologies that the rest of the world will need in the future”.
Former French environment minister Corinne Lepage, speaking for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), called on the EU to give a “real signal”, to come up with “additional aid” and to provide between € 5 to 6 billion per year from next year onwards and more than 35 billion by 2020.
Belgian Socialist Véronique De Keyser pointed out that climate change already today is responsible for 300,000 deaths and “that more than 90% of people affected are in developing countries”.
Climate change cause for migration
She stressed among other things, that the EU needs to tackle the problem of migration caused by climate change. “Environmental refugees need legal protection”, said De Keyser on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats (S&) in the European Parliament.
Development committee chair Eva Joly (Greens) also pointed to the migratory effects of climate change which “could lead to more than 200 million climate refugees by 2050”.
“It’s not about charity”
Joly contrasted the effects of climate change on developing countries with them contributing only 3% to global emissions. She called on EU member states, meeting end of October to hammer out an agreement on the EU’s financial commitment, to provide additional funding for developing countries' efforts in relation to climate change: “We are not talking about charity, we are talking about assuming our responsibility”.
Former European Parliament environment committee chair Miroslav Ouzký, a Czech member speaking for the European Conservatives and Reformists, praised the EU’s ambitious climate policy but warned that even the EU’s greatest efforts were worth nothing if the rest of the world continued on the current path.
Environment committee: No less then 30 billion by 2020
Current environment committee chair Jo Leinen (S&D) pointed out that those denying climate change were a very small minority among MEPs. He stressed the need for a global a comprehensive agreement, including all countries and encompassing a global “solidarity pact”.
Meeting on Monday evening in Strasbourg, the environment committee passed a draft resolution, saying that the “collective contribution by the EU towards developing countries' mitigation efforts and adaptation needs should not be less than €30 billion per annum by 2020”.
Want to know more? You can download specific speeches of the debate here. A video recording will soon be available here. More on the environment committee vote regarding the EU’s position for Copenhagen here.