Climate Action

Prof. Dr. Gerhard SABATHILEU Ambassador to Republic of Korea

Climate Change: the EU as a global leader

Climate Action

The latest climate science

IPPC 5th Assessment Report – Key findings:

• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal

• Human influence on the climate system is clear

• Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850

• Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system.

• Limiting climate change would require substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions which, together with adaptation, can limit climate change risks.

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Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal.

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Source: NASA Global Climate Change

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Climate Action Source: IPCC 5th Assessment Report 

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Source: IPCC 5th Assessment Report

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Staying below 2°C: global action 2020-2030 is critical

Source: Climate Action Tracker

Warming projected by 2100

Baselines 4.1- 4.8 °C

(Before Paris) policy projections 3.6 – 4.2 ° C

With EU, US, CN pledges (INDC)2.9 – 3.1 ° C

Below 2 C: 1.5 – 1.7 ° CBelow 1.5 C: 1.3 – 1.5 ° C

• No new action: 3.7 – 4.8°C rise• Delays will lead to high mitigation

and adaptation costs• Can stay below 2°C and maintain

economic growth with global action and smart policies

• Investment shift in power sector towards low emissions required

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Mumbai

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An historic Agreement

• A new chapter in international climate governance and action

• A win for multilateralism

• A strong signal to policy makers, investors and businesses

• Great example of EU unity and leadership

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Wider context: Regional patterns of GHG emissions are shifting along with changes in the world economy.

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521.3

17.316.8

16.515.9

14.212.412.3

11.810.1

9.49.3

7.97.8

7.67.57.4

6.76.5

0 5 10 15 20 25

WorldUnited Arab…

AustraliaSaudi Arabia

USCanada

KazakhstanRussia

South KoreaTaiwan

JapanNetherlands

GermanyIran

PolandChina

MalaysiaSouth Africa

EUUK

Emissions per capita (t) by country in 2013

Emissions per capita (t) in 2013

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The Paris Agreement

• A legally binding, universal agreement

• 189 nationally determined contributions (NDCs)

• Ambitious long-term goals (well-below 2°C/pursue 1.5°C/global peaking asap/climate neutrality in the second half of the century)

• Dynamic 5-year ambition cycle

• Enhanced transparency and accountability

• Greater emphasis on adaptation

• Support for poor and vulnerable countries

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A transparent Agreement

• All Parties must account for their contributions –track progress on targets

• Methodologies and common metrics will apply

• Enhanced transparency and accountability framework, with biennial reporting and expert review

• No double counting : essential for linking of emission trading systems

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A fair Agreement

• Support for vulnerable countries

• Goal of mobilising US$100bn per year extended to 2025, new goal to be set before 2025 widening the donor base

• Capacity building and technology transfer for developing countries ; support for monitoring, reporting and verification

• Adaptation at political par; Loss and Damage for the first time part of an international agreement

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Global emission profiles by 2030 (business‐as‐usual)

Staying below 2°C – a global mitigation scenario

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The process of decoupling emissions from the economy is underway.

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Critical mass of states will reach emissions peak by 2030 under climate deal

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2030 Climate and Energy Framework

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100

120

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1601990

1991

1992

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1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Index 1990=100

GDP

GHG emissions

GHG intensity

The EU Decoupling example: climate action and economic growth can go hand-in hand-

Source: European Commission based on data compiled by EEA

+ 46% GDP

- 23% GHG emissions

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Supporting Climate Action 

ENGAGEMENTS

The EU has agreed that at least of its budget for 2014-2020- as much as €180 billion- should be spent on climate change-related action.

OBJECTIVES

Promoting low emissions and climate-resilient development through, among others:

- supporting countries in building capacity for low emission development strategies (LEDS) and related nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs)

- supporting development countries in designing, preparing and submitting Intended Nationally Determined Contributions(INDC), which allow governments to determine what effort they will make to reduce emissions

- promoting Low-Emissions Urban Development Strategies in Emerging Economy Countries

- promoting International Cooperative Initiatives (ICI) and encouraging low-emission development pathways in key sectors like energy efficiency, renewable energy or the reform of energy subsidies

- promoting the development and transfer of climate relevant technologies

GCCA+ ENERGY

BLENDING

FORESTRY

MITIGATION

AGRICULTURE

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EU International cooperation: delivering on finance commitments

The EU is a leader in the provision of climate finance for developing countries –€1.7bn in 2014‐2015 to support mitigation and adaptation

At least 20 per cent of the EU budget in the 2014‐2020 period will be spent on climate‐related projects and policies, in the EU and externally. EU development cooperation will contribute to achieving the 20 per cent overall commitment, with an estimated €14bn from this budget for climate spending in developing countries in the period 2014‐2020.

$4.6bn from EU Member States to the Green Climate Fund in addition to bilateral and multilateral funding, and a commitment to scale up private finance too.

EU‐funded Global Climate Change Alliance supports 51 projects in 38 countries 

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Thank you!

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