Activities of John FLACK related to 2017/2006(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The role of EU regions and cities in implementing the COP 21 Paris Agreement on climate change (A8-0045/2018 - Ángela Vallina)
Amendments (31)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
- having regard to the Articles 7(2) and 11(2) of the Paris Agreement which recognises the local, subnational and regional dimensions of climate change and climate action;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the evidence pointing to human responsibility for climate change is beyond any doubt and we are already seeing devastating environmental impacts and high socio-economic costs, particularly for theincrease in extreme weather events are a direct consequence of human-induced climate change and will continue to have a negative impact on many parts of Europe with greater frequency, making the ecosystems which they inhabit mostre vulnerable populations; whereas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the earth’s temperature will rise by between 1.4 and 5.8 ºC by 2100, which would be the largest increase for 10 000 years;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas a serious worldwide migration crisis is predicted as a resultclimate change will exacerbate societal changes such as migration and therefore put new demands on the infrastructure of cities;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas climate change is accentuating the social disparities that have already been widening in the EU over the past decade,and increasing the vulnerability of the weakest sections of society that have fewer capacities and resources to cope with its effects;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas more than 70% of the EU population live in cities and account for 80% of energy consumption produced in Europe;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. Whereas regions and cities have demonstrated their commitment to the UNFCCC process through their involvement in the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) and Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) initiatives;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges that climate change mitigation be considered an urgent priority in EU cohesion policies, in order to meet and indeed, where possible, exceed the Paris Agreement/COP21 commitments by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency, without prejudice to the necessary adaptation measures;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Invites the Commission and Member States to implement ambitious targets in their legislation, that should be mandatory for the Member States and regline with existing EU legislation on climate actional, and local authorities, in line withfollowing the request made by the Committee of the Regions in its opinion of 9 February 2017;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the grave irresponsibility of sections of industry, the media and politictakeholders that continue to deny the evidence of climate change;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. DeplorWelcomes the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreementsscale of non-federal actors, in particular US states and cities, who have reaffirmed their commitment to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement since the US withdrawal; recognises that these subnational actors play an integral role in combatting climate change;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Emphasises that cities need to play a decisive role in tackling climate change, in coordinated interdependence with ion with their surrounding region and Member State; encourages furtheir surrounding regionengagement between subnational leaders and national governments at the international level through platforms such as Friends of Cities;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points out that climate change interacts with factors such as social and gender segregation, migration, the demographic challenge, urbanisation, technological change and energy transitionsocial and economic factors and that this requires an overarching vision, which is more feasible and effective on a local scale;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Warns of the economic impact caused by GHG emissions that is currently affecting – and will affect significantly more seriously in the fuurban infrastructure –, public health and social care systems that are already overburdened and facing a precarious economic situation, and that will be required to meet growing and more complex need, welcomes the potential economic benefits for cities that invest and lead in low-carbon infrastructure, including reduced power costs, decreased maintenance costs and reduced spending on public health, which is improved by reductions in pollutants;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises that mitigation is a long-term process that transcends election cycles and decisions taken at local level, and calls for mitigation to be seen as a source of opportunities in the face of other challenges such as employment and action to improve health and public servicesnotes that the Paris Agreement envisages active engagement of Non-Party Stakeholders through the technical examination processes on mitigation and adaptation;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes the view that the future multiannual financial framework (MFF) should specifically and measurably increase its contribution to, where appropriate, increase its ambition to achieve climate goals, and that ithere should alsobe an increase in the proportion of spending earmarked for this purpose;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Emphasises the key role that cohesion policy has to play in tackling the challenges of climate change at regional and local level; reiterates the need to increase the post-2020 cohesion policy budgetsupports the creation of a cost-benefit tool to enable local government to understand the impacts of projects in terms of carbon reduction and to enable them to take full advantage of financing opportunities available at EU level;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recalls that at least 20 % of the EU budget for 2014-2020 should be spent on climate-related action; notes that the European Court of Auditors’ assessment in 2016 concluded that the EU’s target of spending 20% of its budget in the current programming period on climate action, both on mitigation and adaptation measures, will not be met if no additional measures are taken; acknowledges the wide number of difficulties with measuring and evaluating EU projects which attempt to alleviate climate change and its impacts; calls for the Commission to keep the Parliament updated on progress in this important area;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Believes that cohesion policy should encompass the mitigation and adaptation approaches, differentiating between them and setting clear and measurable targets in each area; takes the view that these targets should be reached through investment plans with the participation of cities and regions (both authoritieincluding public authorities, industry stakeholders and civil society), and that this participation should also cover the implementation and evaluation stages;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Urges that cohesion policy investments should be consistent with an effective decarbonisation policy and that they should be accompanied by effective employment plans that will guarantee social as well asto guarantee environmental sustainability;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to provide increased support for cities and regions in the fields of: training and awareness- raising, financial guidance, know-how and communication financial guidance and advice; notably by strengthening existing instruments such as URBIS, URBACT and the UIA Initiative; calls on the Commission to reinforce these instruments to help local governments deliver fit-for purpose projects, as well as to access financing options in order to test innovative solutions in urban development strategies;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Highlights the important role played by cross-border cooperation in the action carried out by regions and cities, and reiterates the need to strengthen this tool politicrecognises that EU cities contain the vast majority of Europe’s research and development industry focused on climate change; urges the Commission to ensure that these industries take full advantage of global research cooperation; calls for non-EU subnational authorities to be able to voluntarily participate in European science, research and technology initiatives, such as H2020, both formally and financiallyformally, in order to meet collective targets;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Urges cities and regions to include the fight against climate change on the institutional agenda as a matter of urgency, by planning for specific goals and adopting mitigation and adaptation measures, accompanied by monitoring and evaluation based on objective parameters and tried- and-tested methodologies; notes the importance of implementing a reporting framework to monitor climate action undertaken by cities and regions in order to share data on climate commitments and increase transparency among actors to achieve climate targets;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Points out that mitigation measures must be planned on the basis of a fair distribution of efforts and benefits among the various actors, and that adaptation measures must focus on protecting the most vulnerable sections of the population; considers it necessary to carry out an advance assessment of the socio-economic consequences of such measures;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recognises the diversity and specific nature of regional vulnerabilities and potential, and points out that the most effective measures may vary in each territory; stresses, therefore, that cities and regions must have the necessary competence and sufficient political, administrative and financial autonomy to plan and implement actionsindividual actions; stresses the need for cities to tailor their on urban planning by investing in green infrastructure, mobility, public transport and smart grids to meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Welcomes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s decision to draft a special report on cities and climate in 2023;calls on the Commission to advocate for a multi-level vision of climate action in this process in order to promote an inclusive climate regime which recognises action taken by local and subnational authorities;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Notes that many elements of industry are investing in green transformation and have committed to a decarbonisation policy; recognises that collaboration between businesses and cities create innovative and inclusive solutions to climate action and help the EU reach its targets, recalls that industry plays a key role in financing and closing the investment gap in urban areas, calls on city-business partnerships to be promoted;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses the need for cities and regions to implement measures to welcome and integrate climate refugees and migrantsprotect people in vulnerable situations in urban areas which are caused by climate change;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Hails the ‘Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy’ initiative, approves and applauds its methodology and warmlyReiterates the European Parliament’s commitment to seeing a successful global roll out of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy; believes that the commitments made in the Paris City Hall Declaration in 2015 will only be met through engagement with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy; invites all cities, inside and outside EU territory, to join it without delay,the Covenant of Mayors without prejudice to their participation in other sectoral or institutional networks with the same objectives;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Considers that local and subnational authorities should clearly define their mitigation and adaptation commitments through initiatives such as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy; notes that a number of submitted Action Plans by cities contain commitments through to 2020 and therefore urges that additional work be undertaken by these cities up to 2030;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Recalls that the signatories of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy have committed to exceed the EU’s 20% CO2 reduction objective by 2020; believes that the EU should continue to give cities autonomy to plan their climate mitigation strategies as they often result in a more ambitious target;