EU to stick with 30 per cent conditional carbon target

As widely anticipated, EU member states have agreed to retain their commitment to cut carbon emissions by 30 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020 if other large emitters make similarly ambitious pledges to curb emissions as part of any international climate change treaty.

According to AFP reports, diplomats meeting in Brussels yesterday finalised the EU's submission under the Copenhagen Accord, which is due to be sent to the UN ahead of the 31 January deadline for countries to signal their support for the agreement and formally set out their emission targets or climate change action plans.

The letter of agreement confirms the EU's longstanding position, pledging to unilaterally cut carbon emissions across the bloc by 20 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020 and committing to increase the target to 30 per cent if "comparable offers" are made by other industrialised nations and "adequate contributions" come from emerging economies.

The letter also states that the EU "remains determined to negotiate a legal and binding agreement" at upcoming international talks.

Several countries, led by Italy and Poland, had called for the 30 per cent target to be scrapped, arguing that it was unfeasible and had in some ways proved counterproductive at the Copenhagen Summit, highlighting the huge disparity between the US and EU targets.

However, opponents to the conditional offer eventually fell into line and the letter to the UN is now expected to be formally released ahead of the weekend's deadline.

Currently, the Copenhagen Accord has been formally accepted by just nine countries: Australia, France, Canada, Singapore, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Serbia, Ghana and the Maldives.

However, only Cuba has officially rejected the deal and British government officials said yesterday that they were expecting a flurry of submissions to the UN in the next few days as leading emitters signal their support for the agreement.

Meanwhile, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon yesterday urged countries to begin implementing the "two very important elements" within the Copenhagen Accord as soon as possible by meeting the deadline to submit emissions targets and accelerating the delivery of the $10bn a year climate funding that was agreed under the deal.

He added that he was intending to establish a high-level advisory group to oversee the launch of the promised fast-start fund, which will aim to provide $30bn in climate aid to poor countries over the next three years to help them pay for adaptation and emission reduction projects.