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Lima outcome keeps climate talks on track for Paris Agreement
The European Union welcomes the outcome of the United Nations climate conference in Lima as a step forward on the road to a global climate deal in Paris next year. The conference agreed on two deliverables, the Lima Call for Climate Action and the draft elements text for the 2015 Agreement. As countries come forward with proposed emissions reduction targets in the coming months, the Lima Call requires all countries to describe their proposed target in a clear, transparent and understandable way. This will enable us to quantify our proposed contributions. And in order to asses whether these contributions are fair and ambitious and the collective effort puts us on track to keep global warming below the 2 degrees centigrade, the UNFCCC secretariat will publish the contributions and prepare a synthesis report. The EU stands ready to help in this process and engage in constructive discussions with other countries about their proposed targets.
Gian Luca Galletti, Minister of Environment of Italy, holding the EU Presidency, said: "We have spent many long days and nights seeking a compromise. We thank the Peruvian COP Presidency for its leadership and guidance during these intense negotiations. Although this was a difficult conference, it is important to maintain the spirit of optimism and political momentum that brought us to Lima The Lima outcome provides a solid basis for the forthcoming negotiations."
Miguel Arias Cañete, EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy said: “The EU came to Lima to lay the ground for negotiations in Paris. Now, we are on the way to Paris. And although the EU wanted a more ambitious outcome from Lima, we believe that we are on track to agree a global deal in Paris next year. The EU has taken a constructive approach throughout the last two weeks and has shown itself willing to build bridges and compromise where possible. The EU particularly builds on its own experience of overcoming differences and finding common ground. Our ambitious 2030 climate and energy package is proof of this."
Lima Call for Climate Action
The conference agreed that parties must describe their proposed targets in a way that will bring clarity and understanding as to whether we are on track to achieve the below 2 degrees centigrade objective.
The parties also agreed that adaptation and finance shall be at the core of the 2015 Paris agreement.
Climate Finance
During the conference the initial capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) passed the 10 billion USD mark, demonstrating both developed and developing countries` continued commitment to support those most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Almost 50% of this has been pledged by EU Member States.
Aside from the GCF the EU and its Member States provided a total of €9.5 billion of public climate finance to developing countries in 2013 alone in the form of grants and primarily loans.
Pre-2020 ambition
As regards accelerating ambition prior to 2020, the constructive exchanges during the Lima conference and technical expert meetings throughout the previous years ensured strong support to the continuation of work in this area.
Next steps
Next milestone will be the inter-sessional UNFCCC meeting in Geneva from 8-13 February 2015 and the June UNFCCC meeting in Bonn. The EU looks forward to continuing the discussions with all its partners in the coming months.
Further information:
DG Climate Action - Lima conference page: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/events/articles/0098_en.htm
UNFCCC Lima Climate Change Conference:
http://unfccc.int/meetings/lima_dec_2014/meeting/8141.php
