The deal to confine global warming to below two degrees would warrant all parties to the Paris Agreement on climate change to level up their pledges to carbon emission cuts, which include the targets of the European Union (EU) for 2030, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said in a resolution on Thursday’s voting.
As released in an official statement, the MEPs lamented how the sum of all the pledges as of submission date “does not bring the world even close to the two degree target,” further stressing an “urgent and critically important” need for all Agreement parties to raise their commitments to emission reduction.
They added that the EU should likewise compel to additional emission cuts for 2030, considering how the 2030 climate framework’s carbon emission reduction pathway isn’t aligned with the set goals of the Paris Agreement.
They said EU’s action alone would not be sufficient and called upon the Commission and the Council to boost their activities in encouraging actions from other partners.
The MEPs also advised the EU to again look into its own goals and policy instruments as well as requested the Commission to “prepare a mid-century zero emissions strategy for the EU, providing a cost-efficient pathway towards reaching the net zero emissions goal adopted in the Paris agreement.”
One hundred sixty-six million people had to flee their homes due to flooding, earthquakes, windstorms, and other disasters between the years 2008 and 2013, they noted.
They appealed that concerns of “climate refugees” should be recognized, further adding that climate-related developments in some parts of the Middle East and Africa contribute to economic hardship, political instability, and escalating refugee crisis around the Mediterranean.
Insisting the need to reduce carbon emissions from the international aviation and shipping industry, the MEPs asked all Parties to work with the International Maritime Organization and International Civil and Aviation Organization in implementing measures to establish applicable targets before end of this year.
As for its climate finance, they recognized the need for further efforts to meet the goal of $100bn by 2020, noting the demand to deliver additional sources that include financial transactions tax among others.
In the midst of Brexit, modifications listed by the British MEPs with endorsement by the plenary stated that the EU should maintain the commitments in the Paris Agreement regardless of changes in the status of member states of EU.
Likewise, it asked for “strong efforts” to keep these member states that have changing status in the EU carbon market.
A COP22 climate change conference will be held on November 14-19 in Marrakesh, Morocco to be attended by a delegation of MEPs.
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