EESC position paper on the international climate negotiations

1. 1
Aerial view of Switzerland's fast-shrinking glaciers.
© Jean-Marc Ferré, http://bit.ly/10yzQt3 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our
time. Scientific evidence for warming of the climate
system is unequivocal. The world must urgently and
decisively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in
order to preserve planetary stability and the livelihoods
of present and future generations.
The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) set the framework for efforts
to tackle climate change by stabilising atmospheric GHG
concentrations and undertaking adaptation measures.
Later, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol provided the legal basis
for binding emission reduction targets by industrialised
countries for the period 2008-2012. The Doha
Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 2012,
established a second emissions reduction commitment
period for 2013-2020, but it is not yet operational.
Efforts to deliver a new global climate agreement
beyond 2020 have failed at successive conferences. Little
progress was made until the Durban Platform for
Enhanced Action was created in 2011. The Platform was
mandated to develop a new global climate agreement
applicable from 2020 onwards to be adopted at the
Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 in 2015, in Paris. In
the run up the to Paris COP, States will have to identify
and submit the extent of their individual contributions to
limit global temperature rise to 2ºC. Negotiations on this
agreement, as well as on pre-2020 ambitions, are
expected to advance at COP20 in December 2014, in
Lima.
Walking through fields in Mali.
© Curt Carnemark / World Bank, http://bit.ly/1tgOZtT / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
This paper summarises the EESC's recommendations on
the expected points of the 2015 agreement as they
stood in November 2014.
The EESC stresses the urgency of arriving at a
binding and fair agreement at COP21 in 2015,
with the involvement and commitment of
governments, regional and local authorities, as
well as civil society, the drivers of change.
Further information
• EESC opinion on the 2015 international climate
change agreement. http://bit.ly/1u6ab6m
• EESC opinion on the EU strategy on adaptation
to climate change. http://bit.ly/148FP9x
• EESC opinion on market-based instruments.
http://bit.ly/1ihLWLH
• EESC webpage on the EU 2030 climate and
energy package. http://bit.ly/1uZJ8vA
• European Commission webpage on the 2015
international climate agreement.
http://bit.ly/1ExouUt
• EESC webpage on the impact assessment on the
Renewable Energy Directive. http://bit.ly/1szeD99

2. 2
Reaching a binding and fair agreement applicable to all countries
Legal force and burden sharing
Mosaic: pushing world leaders to act at Durban climate talks.
© Ainhoa Goma / Oxfam, http://bit.ly/1wCsPlE / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Reaching an ambitious international agreement
in Paris is an absolute necessity if climate change
is to be contained. The EESC calls for a binding
international agreement with concrete GHG
reduction commitments applicable to all
countries – developed, developing as well as the
emerging economies – even if with variable
degrees of ambition and adapted to national
circumstances. Emissions in non-OECD countries
have been rising sharply, accounting for 62% in
2012. As such, Parties need to move beyond the
North-South paradigm reflecting the world in the
1990s towards one based on mutual
interdependence and shared responsibility.
Responsibility implies that a sense of urgency
must be injected into the new round of
negotiations in order to secure ambitious
commitments and action from all countries and
all parts of society. The EU must play a global
"leadership by example" role, actively promoting its
commitment to reduce GHG emissions by 40% by
2030 in line with a long-term abatement target of
80-95% by 2050, as well as putting forward the
Member States' plans for concrete, nationally-
determined contributions in early 2015.
Setting a fair price on carbon, phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies, and
supporting civic renewable energy
Mitigation action
Installation of rooftop solar panels.
© Greg Vojtko, http://bit.ly/1wCNciI / CC BY 2.0
The EESC considers it essential to move towards a
fully-fledged international carbon market tied
to emission reduction targets. Market instruments
make it more cost-effective to achieve climate and
energy targets. When carbon prices more closely
reflect true carbon costs by incorporating
environmental and health externalities, cleaner
technologies and energy efficiency measures will
become more competitive and their market
deployment facilitated. This will minimize carbon
leakage from countries with strict climate policies
towards those with lower standards – a
phenomenon that most likely leads to increased
global emissions. Until such an equitable business
environment becomes a reality, the EESC considers
that EU energy-intensive industries should be
supported to cope with potential run-up carbon
costs.
A future international carbon market would
comprise several well-coordinated regional
markets, including the EU Emissions Trading
Scheme (ETS). The ETS however has suffered from
a structural imbalance between supply and
demand of allowances that triggered a meltdown
in carbon prices and rendered the scheme
ineffective. The mechanism is under reform and its

3. 3
role in EU climate policies will be further enhanced,
so it is crucial to learn from the ETS experience to
avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Carbon markets should be part of larger
environmental fiscal reforms, including a shift
from taxing labour to taxing the use of
resources. Similarly, action is needed to remove
harmful economic incentives. Direct subsidies to
fossil fuels outpace those granted to renewable
energy. Indirect subsidies related to unaccounted
environmental and health costs make the
discrepancy even higher. This market distortion
promotes unsustainable development patterns by
artificially increasing the competitiveness of
conventional forms of energy, making it more
difficult to decarbonise the power sector. The EESC
therefore calls on the international community to
introduce in the 2015 agreement a binding
requirement to put an end to harmful fossil fuel
subsidies, in line with the outcomes of the Rio+20
Conference in 2012.
But decarbonising the power sector – which in the
EU accounts for as much as 30% of all GHG
emissions – also requires a more focused
promotion of alternatives to fossil-fuels. In this
respect, the 2015 agreement provides an
opportunity to accelerate a worldwide
transition to renewable energy. Of particular
interest is the emergence of decentralised power
generation by citizens, communities, farmers, local
authorities and small businesses. These civic
initiatives open up major opportunities for linking
climate action with local socio-economic
development. By providing affected parties with a
new source of revenues, local renewables tend to
increase the acceptance of energy infrastructure
and trigger the interest of small investors, thereby
unlocking capital funds needed for the energy
transition. There is also evidence that civic energy
is a net creator of jobs and economic growth.
Developing countries would find renewable
sources of energy particularly beneficial because
renewables tend to depend on resources that are
readily available, thus minimising fossil-fuel
imports and increasing energy security. The EESC
has identified examples of best practice in the
EU and prepared a set of recommendations
which could be applied and adapted with
success elsewhere (cf. box "further information").
Enhancing climate adaptation capacity, particularly in vulnerable areas
Adaptation action
Hurricane Tomas Floods Streets of Gonaives, Haiti. © UN Photo /
UNICEF / Marco Dormino, http://bit.ly/1nWver0 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Climate change impacts are already felt today in
all regions of the world, but will hit people living
in poverty the hardest. Adaptation must be one
of the main elements of the 2015 climate
agreement. Enhancing adaptive capacity will
require priority setting, planning and action at all
levels of government and across a wide range of
socioeconomic sectors. Successful implementation
depends on the active involvement of, and even
partnerships with, civil society and businesses.
Adaptation plans must include specific measures
for urban and rural areas which are particularly
sensitive to variations in climate. Investments in
adaptive capacity should be prioritised, with
funding earmarked. For example, the robustness
and reliability of key infrastructure under stress
conditions must be safeguarded. Green
infrastructure solutions offer multiple benefits
and should also be part of the portfolio of
adaptation responses. Among focus domains,
protecting food security, water supply, and
ecosystem services should be highlighted as some
of the greatest challenges ahead.

4. 4
Measurement, reporting and verification
Establishing a transparent and inclusive process that involves civil society
Ambitious and realistic measures and targets
should be built up by consensus and through
interaction with those who will be called upon to
put the actions into effect. Wide stakeholder
participation and transparent negotiation
processes are crucial to ensure that a satisfactory
agreement is reached. The involvement of civil
society is also key during the implementation
stage. Civil society has first and foremost the
obligation to monitor and hold decision-makers
accountable for their climate change commitments.
Furthermore, it should also take action and carry
out mitigation and adaptation measures in the
realm of their competencies.
For decision-makers to be fully accountable,
however, climate action pledges must be based on
a globally standardised GHG accounting system,
and the formulation of commitments should
include clear targets, indicators, as well as
mechanisms for checks and sanctions.
Means of implementation
Supporting capacity-building through technology transfer
Bus rapid transit in Curitiba, Brazil.
© Est Marechal Floriano, http://bit.ly/1E1fuGV / CC BY-SA 2.0
Climate action will entail costs but should not be
regarded as a barrier to development. Instead,
climate action must be turned into an
opportunity to achieve wider societal and
economic goals. In fact, studies clearly show that
the costs of non-action are much higher than
those associated with climate change mitigation,
particularly for the countries most impacted by
climate change.
For those costs that in any circumstance will
inevitably be incurred, the 2015 agreement can
offer ways of minimising that burden. First, the
EESC recommends the incorporation of flexibility
mechanisms (such as an improved and extended
Clean Development Mechanism) in the
agreement in order to boost technology transfer
and deployment in developing countries. Second,
the proceeds of carbon allowance auctions
should be channelled to support businesses
during the transition towards a low CO2
economy and the development and application
of clean technologies.
In general, the future climate agreement should
become a strong basis for coordinating and
developing climate measures, financial flows,
technology exchange, and sharing of best
practices. The Technology Executive Committee
and Climate Technology Centre and Network can
provide expert advice on technologies to nations,
enabling them to select the most appropriate
solutions for their purposes. The business sector
should be actively involved, as companies are
drivers of innovation and technology deployment.
This paper presents desired outcomes for the
2015 climate change negotiations. While
recognising the imperative of a strong, binding
and fair agreement, the EESC also points out that
action is urgently needed now. Pre-2020
ambitions will be crucial for curbing atmosphere
GHG concentrations, as well as for setting climate
policies on the right path.