Divided EU wants poor countries to join climate pledge

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🗞️ Driving the news: EU environment ministers are urging advanced developing nations like China and India to commit to significant emissions reductions ahead of next year’s global climate talks
• Meanwhile, internal EU divisions threaten progress on its climate and energy package, with Italy and Poland resisting the economic implications
• The lack of consensus risks undermining the EU’s leadership role in global climate negotiations

🔭 The context: The EU has proposed that rapidly developing nations reduce emissions by 15-30% below business-as-usual levels by 2020, citing co-benefits like air quality and biodiversity protection
• Least-developed nations would remain exempt, while advanced nations could use mechanisms like afforestation credits to meet obligations
• The EU is also debating funding carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects to address coal dependency but faces internal opposition to financing mechanisms

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Without commitments from large emitters like China and India, achieving meaningful global emissions reductions may be impossible
• At the same time, EU infighting over its own climate measures could weaken its credibility as a global climate leader
• These delays jeopardize efforts to meet global targets to limit warming to 1.5°C.

⏭️ What's next: The December UN climate talks in Poland and the EU summit later this year are pivotal for shaping global and regional climate policy
• EU negotiations may hinge on exemptions or financial "sweeteners" for reluctant member states like Italy and Poland
• Meanwhile, CCS funding remains a contentious issue, critical for managing emissions from coal-dependent economies

💬 One quote: “Rapidly developing countries...would have to reduce their emissions by 15 to 30% below business as usual,” say the EU conclusions adopted in Luxembourg

📈 One stat: By 2015, the EU aimed to deploy 10-12 CCS demonstration plants to mitigate coal-related CO₂ emissions but faces resistance to allocating funding from emissions allowances

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