In the negotiating mandate that the EU countries’ environment ministers have now adopted, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is initially also condemned. Not only for the suffering and death it has caused Ukraine, but also because it delays the necessary climate change that the Paris agreement on reduced emissions aims to achieve.
“Obviously we have circumstances in Europe that make the situation extra difficult, but the consequence cannot be that Europe backs down,” says the new Swedish climate and environment minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) to journalists at the EU’s meeting of environment ministers in Luxembourg.
“The climate issue must not get stuck, nor the issue of biological diversity,” says Pourmokhtari.
National commitments not enough
She is referring to what should be the starting point for Sweden, the EU and the rest of the world at the UN climate summit in Egypt in November (Cop 27 conference) and the UN meeting on biological diversity in Canada in December (Cop 15).
Romina Pourmokhtari aims to make an impact herself at both conferences.
The negotiating mandate for the EU at the climate summit in Egypt states that global efforts must be increased to keep the temperature increase within 1.5 degrees. The national commitments made by the 184 countries behind the Paris Agreement with the 1.5 degree target are far from sufficient. This also applies to targets for money to finance climate measures in poorer countries.
Negotiate with each other
The EU countries are currently negotiating with each other about the Union’s large climate package with national commitments. The hope is that it will be ready before the turn of the year, but it will not be ready to be shown in Egypt.
The package must mean reduced emissions of greenhouse gases in the EU by at least 55 percent in 2030 compared to 1990 and climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest.
The move away from coal and other fossil fuels must continue, according to the mandate.