"The biggest polluters turn out to become the biggest failures for climate protection", commented EP Environment Committee Chair Jo Leinen (S&D, DE), on this weekends events.
"The biggest polluters turn out to become the biggest failures for climate protection", commented EP Environment Committee Chair Jo Leinen (S&D, DE), on this weekends events. On the contrary, the December climate conference in Copenhagen "needs to become a success", stressed Mr Leinen, who will chair the EP's Copenhagen delegation.
It would be a severe setback for world climate protection efforts if the US and China, as the two biggest polluters of earth's atmosphere, do not commit to specific greenhouse gas reduction goals, but instead, as was the case two years ago in Bali, are prepared only to make a political declaration on climate protection in some distant future, observed Mr Leinen.
If the two superpowers do not take sufficient responsibility for making cuts, they will unfortunately find "imitators and copycats" among other countries with high levels of CO2 emissions, he noted.
"The world climate conference in Copenhagen needs to become a success nevertheless", said Mr Leinen, adding that "the European Union and other partners need to push for a binding roadmap and process for a global climate contract. It is imperative that we succeed in establishing the goals of the international climate policy - remaining below a 2°C temperature increase, cutting CO2 emission by 50% in 2050 - in Copenhagen".
"In addition, the EU must stick to its own commitments on reducing greenhouse gases till 2020", said Mr Leinen.
The European Parliament will be sending an official delegation of 15 MEPs to the Copenhagen conference.