A senior EU official said here Wednesday that the EU hoped that a Bali roadmap can be agreed at the ongoing U.N. climate change conference to guide negotiations on the post-2012 framework.
H.E. Francisco Nunes Correia, Portuguese Minister for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development, told the climate conference that "it is not an option for us not to live to the world's expectation and to go back home without a successful agreement here."
"Climate change is upon us and it is high time to act. ... Our window of opportunity to act is closing rapidly and delaying action will increase the risks of dangerous climate change," he said on behalf of the EU member states at the Dec. 3-14 U.N. climate change conference, which will end on Friday.
He added "the EU is fully committed to keep leading the fight against global climate change. Our experience clearly demonstrates that transitioning to a low greenhouse-gas-emitting economy results into aggregate positive economic impacts."
EU leaders have agreed an objective of a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels as its contribution towards a global and comprehensive agreement for the period beyond 2012, provided that other developed countries commit themselves to comparable efforts, he said.
"Irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations on a global and comprehensive agreement, the EU will move to at least a 20 percent reduction by the same deadline," he added.
According to the findings of the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities have increased about 70 percent between 1970 and 2004.
Correia called on all developed countries to collectively reduce their emissions in a range of 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 through a combination of domestic and international efforts.
Contributions by developing countries to the global effort to stabilizing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere should be enhanced and facilitated by positive incentives, he noted.
He said the EU has agreed to do more to mobilize the necessary finance in the most efficient and effective way as part of a global and comprehensive post-2012 framework.
EU stands ready to pledge funding support for intensified negotiation schedule ahead, he said.
"The Bali roadmap will take us all to Copenhagen via Poznan, on a journey of intensive discussions among us all," he concluded.
The annual U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change is scheduled to be held in Poznan, Poland in 2009 and in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2010.
Source: Xinhua/agencies
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