New climate treaty should reflect reality

While accepting Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR), the world should look to a new climate treaty which is binding but also reflect the ground realities, according to Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, European Commission, on Friday.

At a media interaction, Ms. Hedegaard said the world was changing and a new treaty could have a differentiated approach to different emerging economies.

“The first thing we need is to have a more constructive and “unideological” way of discussing that,” she pointed out.

In the run-up to the Copenhagen climate conference, more than 90 countries made their own climate targets.

Europe has never been afraid of binding treaties because that is in line with its tradition.

Advocating a hybrid approach, which involves a bottom-up and a top-down approach, Ms. Hedegaard said, “there is a gap which is not closing on what we say we want to achieve and what is achieved globally.”

Unprecedented emission

Recent figures show that the world has not seen such an increase in emissions like it did last year and those who are afraid of binding treaties should come up with credible alternatives that make the world convinced that when countries leave the negotiating table in Paris with stated intentions, they will be delivered over the years.

Merely having nice intentions is not enough, she remarked.

She said CBDR was a big controversial issue but not the only one at arriving a global consensus - issues of finance, technology and others would also dominate talks.

CBDR cannot be discussed in a black and white manner and based on the 1992 situation. Then the divisions were clear that developed countries must commit to cutting emissions but now we need to evolve a way where growth development and climate change can go hand in hand, she said.

Europe wants a strong agreement for Paris and the world is getting impatient and citizens are feeling the human and economic impact of climate change, she added.

“In Europe we have an example to show as since 1990 we had an increase in GDP of 45 per cent while reducing emissions between 18 and 19 per cent during the same period. You would see the decoupling of growth and emissions,” she said.

On September 23, 28 heads of states in the European Union will adopt new targets for Europe, a 40 per cent cut in emissions domestically by 2030, in addition to aiming at 27 per cent of all energy consumption from renewables and a 30 per cent energy efficiency.