15 Amendments of Stanislav POLČÁK related to 2019/2712(RSP)
Amendment 38 #
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the serious risks of climate change are at the heart of citizens’ concerns; welcomes the fact that people across the world, in particular younger generations, are increasingly active in fighting for climate action; welcomes their calls for greater collective ambition and swift action in order not to overshoot the 1.5°C limitline with the Paris Agreement and the request of scientific bodies like the IPCC; believes that national, regional and local governments, as well as the EU, should heed these calls;
Amendment 62 #
Paragraph 5
5. Expresses concern at the UN Environment 2018 Emissions Gap Report, which finds that current unconditional nationally determined contributions (NDCs) far surpass the Paris Agreement warming limit of well below 2°C, leading instead to an estimated 3.2°C4 warming by 2100 assuming that climate action continues consistently throughout the 21st century; highlights that there is a high risk that with a warming of 3.2°C certain tipping points are passed and a massive additional warming is induced; _________________ 4UN Environment Programme, ‘Emissions Gap Report 2018’, p.21.
Amendment 70 #
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that the IPBES 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services recognises climate change as one of the main direct drivers of biodiversity loss during the past 50 years, and underlines that its negative effects on nature and biodiversity are projected to become increasingly important in the next decadess well as the fact that species extinction rates are accelerating and might lead to the extinction of up to 1 000 000 species, and underlines that its negative effects make the loss of biodiversity not only an environmental issue, but a developmental, economic, security, social and moral issue as well;
Amendment 98 #
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the country holding the EU Presidency and the Commission to submit to the UNFCCC as soon as possible the Union’s long-term strategy to reach domestic net-zero emissions in 2050; stresses that in order to reach domestic net- zero GHG emissions in 2050 in the most cost-efficient manner, and in order to avoid relying on carbon removal technologies that would entail significant risks for ecosystems, biodiversity and food security, the 2030 ambition level will need to be raised; believes it to be of the utmost importance for the Union to send a clear message during the UN Climate Summit in September 2019as soon as possible that it stands ready to enhance its contribution to the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 101 #
Paragraph 11
11. Supports an update of the Union’s NDC; calls, therefore, on EU leaders to support an increase in the level of ambition of the Union’s NDC; calls also on other global economies to update their NDCs to bring about global effects in line with the political guidelines of the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with an economy-wide target of at least 50 % domestic GHG emission reductions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, with a view to put forward a comprehensive plan to increase the EU target for 2030 towards 55% in a responsible way in the framework of international negotiations; calls, therefore, on EU leaders to support an increase in the level of ambition of the Union’s NDC; calls also on other global economies to update their NDCs to bring about global effects; believes that before updating the Union's NDC the Commission must run a comprehensive impact assessment thoroughly evaluating the consequences of a higher climate goal on the economic and social situation of each Member State;
Amendment 180 #
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses the importance of a just transition to a climate neutral economy and the need for an anticipatory approach to ensure a just transition for citizens and to support the most vulnerable regions and communities; stresses the importance of creating a just transition fund, to guarantee an inclusive and informed transition for the people and the regions most affected by decarbonisation, such as the coal mining regions; believes that Europe’s climate transition must be ecologically, economically and socially sustainable; calls on the Union and the Member States to put in place appropriate policies and financing in this regard, conditioned to clear, credible and enforceable short and longer term economy-wide decarbonisation commitments from the concerned Member States;
Amendment 184 #
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Stresses the importance to get discussions started with those countries worldwide, which are at the moment dependent on the export of fossil fuels, on how a strategy of joint energy and climate security can be implemented in a way that gives a future perspective to those regions;
Amendment 209 #
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Stresses the utmost importance of achieving in the Paris Agreement targets while at the same time keeping jobs and an industrial base inside Europe to give people in this sector a positive perspective and to show the world that industry and climate neutrality is no contradiction. Strongly welcomes the commitment and efforts of many industrial players in Europe to become carbon neutral and encourages those sectors or companies that are still hesitant to follow the many good examples;
Amendment 247 #
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Stresses the importance of understanding the positive effects of sustainable and active managed forests in Europe to adapt to climate change and avoid damages in forests;
Amendment 249 #
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Underlines that sustainably managed forests are enormously important in fighting climate change via increased CO2 sequestration by growing forests, carbon storage in wood products and the substitution of fossil-based raw materials and energy while at the same time reducing the risks of forest fires, pest infestations and diseases;
Amendment 250 #
Paragraph 32 c (new)
32c. Calls for greater efforts at all political levels to prevent the deterioration of the state of forests in Europe and to restore their good condition where necessary; asks therefore the Commission and the Member States to support measures for reforestation on degraded soils and those unsuitable for agricultural use;
Amendment 252 #
Paragraph 32 d (new)
32d. In view of the fundamental role played by forests in the fight against climate change, believes that forest owners in Europe must receive adequate financial support for sustainable forest management;
Amendment 254 #
Paragraph 32 e (new)
32e. Underlines the important role of natural sinks in achieving greenhouse gas neutrality in the EU; calls on the Commission to develop a detailed EU strategy for the sustainable enhancement of natural sinks in line with the 2050 objective of greenhouse gas neutrality; and encourages Member States to cover this aspect thoroughly in their long-term strategies as required by Art. 15 (4) b of the Governance Regulation;
Amendment 256 #
Paragraph 32 f (new)
32f. Welcomes the commitment and concrete activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in many parts of the world, for example the very ambitious commitments of many developing countries and small island states; regrets, however, the lack of ambition and the lack of debate on increasing the NDC in many major economies; recalls that the greenhouse gas emissions of the EU are 9 % of the global emissions compared to 6.7 % share of the citizens, which means that increased ambition in Europe is of crucial importance especially because of the historical responsibility and the necessity to give a good example to the rest of the world, while it will be impossible to achieve the Paris Agreement goal and avoid tipping points if increased ambition in other major economies will not follow;
Amendment 282 #
Paragraph 37
37. Strongly deplores the lacklustre reaction by the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the Brazilian Government to the unprecedented number and scale of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon: urges the EU and its Member States to do their utmost to combat the environmental devastation of this key area in the global ecosystem and to take into account the potential role of its own trade policy;