Paris Climate Conference 2015 (Communication)

Dr. Götz Reichert, LL.M.

As part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 90 developed and developing countries, including those of the EU, have pledged to "curb" their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 in order to prevent damaging consequences for climate change. As these commitments are not sufficient to prevent the severe impact of climate change, a Climate Change Agreement, legally binding for all parties, should be concluded as a Protocol to the UNFCCC in Paris in December 2015 and implemented from 2020 onwards. The European Commission wants to prepare the EU for the final round of international talks prior to the Climate Conference in Paris and therefore defines the requirements that the EU has in relation to the planned Paris Protocol.

cepPolicyBrief

The aim of concluding a binding Climate Change Agreement is an important step towards effectively protecting the environment. The more countries that take part in climate protection, the lower the risk of "carbon leakage", which is damaging to the environment. In addition, legally binding climate protection obligations for all contracting Parties may reduce the cost of climate protection. The Commission ignores the fact that failure to reach a Climate Change Agreement whilst continuing to pursue the EU's unilateral climate protection policy, will have high economic costs for the EU which will not be balanced by any climate policy benefit.

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Paris Climate Conference 2015 COM(2015) 81 (publ. 05.08.2015)	PDF	96 KB	Download