By Andrew Jacobs, Michel Djokovic, Melanie Hopkins and Daniel Montilla Rubiales
H.E. Mr Andrew Jacobs is EU Ambassador for the Pacific. H.E. Mr Michel Djokovic is French Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu. H.E. Ms Melanie Hopkins is British High Commissioner to Fiji and Head of the UK South Pacific Network. Mr Daniel Montilla Rubiales is Spanish chargé d’affaires a.i. to Fiji.
Last December, 195 countries gathered in Paris to negotiate a new global climate agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The result – the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal – sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2oC. To further underline their determination, the international community also agreed to pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5oC. Now, ten months on from that historic outcome, the European Union (EU) and our allies in the Pacific region can be proud of the ambitious deal reached in Paris. However there is no room for complacency after the success of the Paris Conference; for the vision of a global low emissions future to materialise, our attention needs to turn to putting our words into action.
Already this year, we have seen encouraging signs that our partners around the world are keen to maintain the unprecedented political momentum in support of climate action. More than 180 countries have now signed the Paris Agreement and 22 have completed their domestic ratification procedures and become Parties to the Agreement. We congratulate the six Pacific countries Fiji, Nauru, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Tuvalu on the leadership shown in being among the first countries to ratify and we encourage the other Pacific countries to ratify as soon as possible.
Ratification is an important step towards implementation of the Paris Agreement but ratifying the agreement on its own will not deliver the necessary greenhouse gas reductions, adaptation action and financing. Equally important are the steps countries will take to meet the commitments made in Paris, starting with the policy and legislative frameworks required to develop robust national climate plans and international approaches.
The EU and its Member States are taking implementation of Paris Agreement very seriously. We are moving forward with our ambitious domestic climate policies, with new proposals that will help us meet our emissions reduction target of at least 40% by 2030 and further drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. We hear and understand concerns that taking action against climate change can affect economic growth. But we have found that the opposite is true: our emissions have decreased by 23% since 1990, while GDP has grown by 46% in the same period. During these years we have created new jobs, businesses, technologies and competitive advantages that prepare us better for the new climate compatible economy.
What are the next steps for moving the climate change agenda forward? To ensure that the ‘well below 2oC’ temperature goal set by the Paris Agreement can be met, all forms of CO2 emissions must be reduced including the transport emissions from shipping and aviation. It is vital for all vulnerable Pacific Island States to engage in these negotiations which are the most important international climate change negotiations this year.
Later this month at the Annual Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), members will consider a global mechanism (a global market based measure or GMBM) to safely limit CO2 emissions from aviation which are projected to increase exponentially in the next decade. It is important that Pacific voices are heard as an environmentally robust measure must be agreed in keeping with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Limiting global emissions in order to counteract dangerous climate change can only be achieved by maximising the coverage of this offsetting scheme. Though vulnerable nations and Pacific Island States will be fully exempted from the carbon offset mechanisms proposed by this scheme and as a result there is little risk of a project negative impact on the Pacific tourism or aviation industry, it will be important to ensure that the net of exemption is not cast too wide. Doing so may compromise the effectiveness of the scheme.
For Pacific Island States not only will a strong GMBM reduce the climate risks and through exemption protect Pacific business interests, there is also potential for countries like Fiji to become a beneficiary of the funds levied through the global Aviation emission offset scheme (Global Market Based Measure or GMBM).
In order to provide clarity and certainty on the future of this scheme, the 44 states of the European Civil Aviation Conference have announced their intention to participate from the beginning and strongly encourage others to commit to an ambitious agreement.
Management of shipping emissions is just as vital to limiting global temperature rise and negotiations at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) this year and next, will be key to securing a proactive and decisive approach when it comes to setting a fair share” of the shipping industry in reducing emissions. The EU strongly supports a proactive approach from partners, centred on the importance of environmental integrity with in each of these negotiations.
The EU has more than two decades of experience in developing and implementing ambitious climate policy, but we know that many of our partners are doing so for the first time. We stand ready to share our experience and lessons learned for the benefit of others – in fact we already have extensive climate policy co-operation with some of our key partners. We are committed to supporting the Pacific region and other climate-vulnerable nations to develop national climate plans and make the transition to low-carbon climate-resilient economies.
In respect of climate finance, within the current Multi-annual Financial Framework 2014-2020, the EU has committed to allocate 20% of the budget to “Climate relevant” actions (both from internal and external policies). In the Pacific region most of our work is carried out in areas that are relevant for climate issues (i.e. water and sanitation, rural development, sustainable management of natural resources). Therefore, the actual share of climate relevant actions in the Pacific region is higher than 50% of the total EU support.
As well as developing long-term climate strategies, there are actions we all need to take now. In just a few months, countries will gather in Marrakech to start to add the technical detail to the breakthrough political agreement in Paris. Building capacity to act, addressing loss and damage associated with climate change and setting out a roadmap to reach climate finance targets are just some of the issues on the table. Before then, countries will also aim to reach multilateral agreements on limiting aviation emissions and phasing out highly climate warming gasses used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
And it is not just governments taking action. Businesses, cities and civil society all have a crucial role to play in delivering the action on the ground that will really make a difference.
Paris was a defining moment in the safeguarding of the planet for future generations. We must maintain that momentum in the months and years ahead, because the prize is worth it: lower emissions, greater energy security and energy efficiency, innovation-driven growth. There is lots of work to do, and we look forward to continued partnership with the Pacific Countries.
ENDS