Climate change: Robust Durban deal needed to bridge ‘gigatonne’ ambition shortfall

CALLING on EU negotiators to indicate in advance of the UN Climate Change talks in Durban to commit to a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, Irish GUE/NGL MEP Bairbre de Brún welcomed the European Parliament vote on a resolution on the summit and said any such guarantee needs to be robust “both in its targets and in its legal form”.
Bairbre said:
“Clearly the aim is an ambitious global solution. The EU can help to achieve this and must demonstrate forward-thinking leadership regardless of the stance of others.
“At Durban, we need to bridge the ‘gigatonne gap’ which exists between the current ambition levels and those required to keep temperature increase by science below 2°C. Climate financing will also be crucial for developing countries.
“As well as tackling the major political issue about the framework for the way forward, the talks in Durban must also take concrete steps to implement the Cancún agreements. For example, on climate financing, the summit in Durban must provide a way for the transparent scaling up of financing during the period 2013-2020 and provide adequate, predictable, continuous and transparent long-term financing to support low-carbon futures for developing countries so they do not go down the dirty development path. We must also help developing countries deal with the damage already done.”

This is funded by the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)