35 Amendments of Richard SEEBER related to 2011/2012(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
- having regard to the Commission Communication "A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy by 2050"(COM(2011)0112), and the statement that “The EU already has legislation in place that ensures a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared with 1990 levels. It maintains its conditional offer of a 30% reduction, provided there are comparable reductions by other developed countries and appropriate contributions from developing countries.”
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU's climate objective is to limit climate change to 2°C above the pre- industrial level; whereas the climate package adopted in December 2008 represents a first step towards ensuring EU action in line with this objective; whereas countries representing some 80% of global emissions have pledged to reduce emissions, although the Parties to the UNFCCC acknowledged in Cancun that current pledges are insufficient to meet the 2°C objective,. Taking into account that the Cancun conference did not reach a global agreement to turn these pledges into legally binding targets and the European Union is still the only large economic community having adopted unilateral emissions reduction targets.
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, due to the economic crisis, emissions from sectors in the EU emissions trading system (ETS) have been considerably lower than projected, and below the level of initial allocation,; whereas the actual price of allowances in the third trading period is subject to many uncertainties caused, for example, by the economic recovery, the effects of the benchmarks that have just been established and the possibility that some Member States may speed up plans to phase out nuclear power;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the lower carbon price willould have a significant impact on investment decisions and will reduce the revenues from auctioning allowances for financing climate action in the EU and in developing countries, so the impact will have to be closely examined;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. considering that the main purpose of the climate and energy package is that of reducing emission in the most cost effective way.
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas some emerging and developing countries have put forward ambitious targets since the EU targets were set in 2007 and 2008, e.g. Brazil's target of - 36-39% compared to business as usual, Mexico’s target of - 30% compared to business as usual, the Maldives’ objective to be carbon neutral by 2020, or Costa Rica’s to be carbon neutral by 2021;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
Recital F e (new)
Fe. whereas the upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East clearly show that dependence on fossil fuels, and particularly oil, has resulted in compromises in EU policy towards oil supplying countries like Libya that are not sustainable in the long term, which makes it a matter of urgency to reduce dependence on fossils fuels from an external policy perspective as well;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F f (new)
Recital F f (new)
Ff. whereas the European Commission’s ‘Roadmap 2050’ suggests a 25% reduction target within the European Union by 2020 and that this objective can be achieved solely by the energy efficiency target previously announced, which means that it would not be absolutely essential to tighten up emissions trading in order to meet a 25% target;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas taking into consideration that in order to best address climate change mitigation, there is a need to complementarily address the reduction of non-CO2 gases emissions, which could be achieved with the existing tools and technologies and implemented in the coming decade for a public price orders of magnitude lower than current carbon prices
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Welcomes the Commission Communication on the 2050 Roadmap setting long-term targets reconfirming the EU objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 in order to keep climate change below 2°C.
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for the Commission based on Communication on the 2050 Roadmap to come forward with proposals to move to a 3025% greenhouse gas reduction target for 2020 as soon as possible, and at the latest by the end of 2011nd implementation a long-term strategy up to 2050 for gas reduction target and a coherent targets for 2020 as soon as possible;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Confirms that if the conditions agreed upon by the European Council are met, the EU will consider all possible options that can help to reach 25% target for 2020 in a cost-effective way.
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that since the establishment of the 20-20-20 Strategy in 2007 and the adoption of the climate and energy package in 2008 there have been very positive developments at international level, and some industrialised countries, and more notably emerging and developing countries, have put forward ambitious targets that in some areas even exceed the European Union’s call for a possible international agreement;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Points out, on the other hand, that the obligations put forward by third countries to date generally fall short of what is required and in no way suffice to meet the 2°C objective, which is why international developments justify an intermediate step;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls that in the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 the Commission indicates that progress an a global scale is the only way to solve the problem of climate change, and the EU must continue to engage its partners.1 __________________ 1 COM(2011)0112, p. 13
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates that cumulative emissions are decisive for the climate system; notes that even with a pathway of 30% reductions in 2020, 55% in 2030, 75% in 2040 and 90% in 2050 the EU would still be responsible for approximately double its per capita share ofn the global 2°C compatible carbon budget, and that delaying emissions reductionslevel. The EU per capita share must however be considered inc reases the cumulative share significantly;lation to per capita shares in a global context.
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Recalls that the EU with little more than 10% of global emissions will not be able to tackle climate change on its own.
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Points out that in 2009 the level of emissions in the European Union was already 17.3% below that in 1990, which means that a 20% target does not give a strong signal to market operators to invest in low-CO2 and CO2 -free technologies;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that, due to the surplus and low carbon price, the auction of allowances will also not mobilise resources for climate investments as expectedCalls for the trend in the carbon price and in emission trading in general to be closely monitored and, in this context, for the question to be examined of whether the price signal is sufficient to encourage investment in low-CO2 and CO2 -free technologies and whether, at the same time, the risk of carbon leakage is able to be effectively dealt with;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 confirms the EU's offer in the international negotiations to take on a 30% reduction target for 2020, if the conditions are right. Recalls that, according to the Commission analysis, stepping up to the 30% reduction target with 25% domestic effort now represents an increase of EUR 11 billion as compared to 2008 projections for the absolute costs of the climate and energy package in 2020; notes the Commission assessment that this will raise the carbon price in the EU ETS to some EUR 30/tonne of CO2, i.e. similar to the level estimated necessary for the 20% reduction target in 2008;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. SupportWelcomes the Commission analysis that cost-effective sharing of the additional effort between ETS and non-ETS sectors remains the same as under the climate packageit is possible to move to a 25% target for reducing emissions in Europe simply by achieving the 20% energy efficiency target already set, so that, subject to the development of the emission trading system, it is not imperative to adjust the ETS;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Considers for encouraging investments in new technologies by the private sector, it is essential to maintain the stability of the legal and economic framework where industries shall operate. A disruption in the current framework would generate uncertainties in the decision-making process and also negatively affect possible investments in this sector.
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls the Commission to immediately propose how the Union can best complement its actions for climate change mitigation with efforts aiming at reducing non-CO2 gases, such as the HFCs which are the fastest growing climate pollutant in the world and HFC23; calls the Commission to promote the initiative to bring HFC production into the Montreal Protocol and to conclude bilateral agreements with third countries for mitigating HFC23, with a view of phasing down non-CO2 gases and mitigating HFC-23, in a cost effective manner, for a public price orders of magnitude lower than current carbon prices
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Calls the Commission in the framework of its actions to mitigate climate change, to develop fast action regulating strategies with a view to accelerate the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and recover and destroy stratospheric ozone depleting GHGs in discarded products and equipment.
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Calls the Commission in the framework of its actions to mitigate climate change, to develop fast-action strategies with a view to reduce emissions of Black Carbon, giving priority to emissions that affect regions of snow and ice, including the Arctic
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18d. Calls the Commission in the framework of its actions to mitigate climate change, to develop fast-action regulating strategies with a view to reduce pollutant gases that lead to formation of tropospheric (lower atmosphere) ozone, a significant GHG
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that European eco-industries employ approximately 3.4 million (FTE), which is ten times the figure for direct employment in the EU steel sector in 2007; points out that, according to recent studies, raising the EU climate target to 30% can foster up to 6 million additional jobs in Europe;deleted
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Concurs with the European Commission’s Roadmap for a low carbon economy by 2050 where it states that ‘the creation and preservation of jobs will depend on the EU's ability to lead in terms of the development of new low carbon technologies through increased education, training, programmes to foster acceptability of new technologies, R&D and entrepreneurship, as well as favourable economic framework conditions for investments’
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Notes the lack of a thorough assessment of the impacts on employment caused by the low carbon transition which would primarily entail a shift of jobs across sectors, and that there is a need to better identify ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of such transition.
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Concludes that stepping up to a 30% target has more benefits than costs for EU citizens and a domestic achievement of the reduction targets would bring the highest overall benefitonly in case of a global agreement; while setting long-term targets and additional policies like energy efficiency measures will allow achieving the long-term target coherent with the 2°C objective;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Notes that the Commission has fully acknowledged that the best protection against the risk of carbon leakage would be effective global action. 1 __________________ 1 COM(2011)0112, p. 9
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Notes that the Commission has fully acknowledged that there is a need to remain vigilant in order to maintain a strong industrial base in Europe.1 __________________ 1 COM(2011)0112, p. 9
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Concurs with the Commission analysis that border adjustment measures or including imports in the ETS would need to be combined with full auctioning to the sectors concerned; considers that such a system could be envisaged especially for some standardised commodities, such as steel or cement, and electricity;.