The European Union rejects an “unacceptable” proposal from the Egyptian presidency of COP27 on the climate, which would lead to calling into question past commitments on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, an official told AFP on Saturday. French government source.
“At this stage, the Egyptian presidency calls into question the achievements of Paris and Glasgow on the drop in emissions. This is unacceptable for France and the countries of the EU”, it was said in the entourage of the French Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
A cornerstone of the fight against climate change, the 2015 Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming “well below 2°C” compared to the pre-industrial era, and if possible to 1.5 °C. This ambition was reaffirmed at COP26 in Glasgow last year.
“The problem is that the Egyptian presidency is trying to pass a text that would lift the obligations of states to regularly raise the targets for reducing emissions to reach 1.5 degrees”, it was explained in the entourage of the minister.
Negotiations are tough at COP27 in Egypt this year and boiled over for at least a day on Saturday, when they were officially due to end on Friday evening.