Call for EU to step up leadership as experts emphasise why a strong rulebook must drive ambition with adequate climate finance

4 December 2018

Strong statements by UN Secretary General must embolden leaders to make the right choices

4 December 2018, Katowice: Discussions for a comprehensive Paris Rulebook- the guidelines that will operationalise the Paris Agreement- alongside constructive intergovernmental dialogues for enhanced ambition, must set the lay the foundations for negotiations to pick up in the next days of the UN climate talks here in Katowice.  

Lutz Weischer, International Team Lead, Germanwatch, opened the briefing by emphasizing the role of COP24 as the platform where global leaders are obligated to respond to the IPCC 1.5C Report and the rising global outcry for climate action as evidenced by the thousands of people taking to the streets to demand a fossil free future.

He said the EU has to lead by increasing near term climate targets, “We need the EU as a champion – the EU can only become a champion for (improved climate targets) if Germany supports it, and Germany unfortunately on this issue right now, is in the same camp as Poland”. Weischer described the German Coal Commission and its current negotiations on meeting the German 2030 targets; however, he added “We expect the EU to make it very clear here, that they are willing to – update their insufficient 2030 NDC before 2020”. If Germany is planning on passing a binding climate law in 2019 as they have promised, then “They should be in a position to support a move by the EU here to agree to revise its NDC” he said.

Weischer described three urgent steps for Germany to show it is serious about climate change:

1) Finalize 2030 pathway with the Coal Commission
2) Introduce Carbon Pricing
3) Enable the Transport Commission to reduce emissions

Camilla Born, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G, said the Paris Rulebook negotiations started encouragingly as numerous nations requested additional time to work on its technical aspects. A constructive session on Facilitative Sharing of Views speaks to further commitment towards creating dialogues that allow for knowledge and experienced to be shared across nations. When speaking on the preferred 5-year time frames for National Contributions she said, we hope to see a “long term vision that they’re going to be moving to net-zero emissions and building resilient economies and societies, coupled with a commitment to every five years coming forward with new climate plans”.

Alden Meyer, Director, Strategy and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), said: strong levels of ambition were heard in the Secretary General’s speech, “If I had closed my eyes – I might have thought I was listening to someone from UCS or Greenpeace, it was an amazing speech for the Secretary General of the United Nations to make to world leaders”. Meyer reiterated the importance of a comprehensive Rulebook and greater commitments to climate finance, “In addition to rules and finance, Climate Action Network is calling for a Katowice Ambition Package next week, including a successful conclusion to the Talanoa dialogue – and elements within the COP decision acknowledging the IPCC reports”.

Additionally, “We need a transformation in climate finance across the board in the public and private sector. We need to put a real price on emitting carbon. We need to eliminate the hundreds of billions of dollars of subsidies every year for fossil fuel production, extraction, and consumption. We need to avoid the lock-in of carbon inefficient infrastructure across the world, and we need to shift the trillions of dollars that are going into fossil fuel” he said.

Meyer also addressed the persistent work of non-state actors in driving momentum. “NGOs and others around the world that are not waiting for COP decisions. They’re going ahead and implementing actions on the ground.”  

About Climate Action Network:
Climate Action Network (CAN) is a global network of over 1200 NGOs working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. www.climatenetwork.org . For more information, contact Dharini Parthasarathy, Senior Communications Coordinator, CAN International; email: dparthasarathy@climatenetwork.org, or whatsapp/call on +918826107830