COP17 climate talks: Mapping the way towards a legal framework by 2015 - Dec 20, 2011.
A new way forward has been agreed upon in Durban, South Africa, after two weeks of climate change negotiations. The European Union welcomed the agreement from the COP17 climate conference as a breakthrough in the fight against climate change.
The delegates agreed a roadmap towards a new legal framework by 2015.
The 'Durban Platform for Enhanced Action' is a process to develop a legal
framework applicable to all Parties to the UN climate convention. It aims to
raise levels of ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Durban
climate conference also agreed to launch a work plan to identify options for
closing the "ambition gap" between countries' current emissions
reduction pledges for 2020 and the goal of keeping global warming below 2°C.
The package decided in Durban foresees a second commitment period of
the Kyoto Protocol, starting in 2013 and avoiding a gap after the first
commitment period running from 2008-12. New arrangements were made to increase
the transparency of emissions reduction actions, a key measure for building
trust between Parties.
Another area of agreement was in the design and governance arrangements
for the new Green Climate Fund. The fund is expected to be one of the major
distribution channels for the USD 100 billion in assistance which developed
countries have pledged to mobilise for developing nations annually by 2020.
These funds will support mitigation efforts.
The European
Environment Agency (EEA) publishes several reports each year improving the
understanding of climate change, climate change mitigation and adaptation. This
information is freely available for policy-makers and the public.
In October, the EEA
published a report assessing
progress towards the Kyoto target and the EU’s greenhouse gas emission
reduction target for 2020. The EEA also updates the annual
European Union greenhouse gas inventory and prepares greenhouse
gas country profiles. Greenhouse gas emissions across the EU can easily be
analysed with the EEA
greenhouse gas data viewer.
Strategies to adapt to
climate change are necessary to manage impacts even if the global average
temperature remains within a 2° C increase above the pre-industrial level.
Therefore the EEA has published reports addressing the question of how to adapt
to climate change. These include a range of assessments and
a report
on regional climate change and adaptation.
The EEA plans to
publish the updated European Union greenhouse gas inventory by mid-2012
and a report on the impacts of climate change later that year.
Source: www.europa.eu
Dec 20, 2011.