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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

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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

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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.

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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.