In a climate resilience strategy presented Tuesday, the European Commission concluded that the world is on a path that could lead to a temperature rise of 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. That significantly exceeds the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra stressed Tuesday that the EU’s goal remains the Paris Agreement targets, but that the EU must also prepare for other scenarios. The reference is to the 2015 climate summit in Paris, where nearly 200 countries pledged to keep the temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to preindustrial levels.
– On the one hand, we must do everything we can to stay close to the 1.5-degree limit and, if it is exceeded, take steps to bring the temperature back down. On the other hand, rather than waiting passively, we must also prepare for other possible future scenarios – Hoekstra said.
In the strategy, the Commission concluded that the world is on a path that could lead to a temperature rise relative to preindustrial levels of 1.5 degrees by 2030, 2 degrees by 2050 and 3 degrees by 2100. “When making decisions on strategies, assets and investments, the projected path of global warming should serve as the baseline assumption, while detailed risk assessments and the level of risk acceptance should determine the final choices,” the document says.
For the first time, the Commission also addressed cooling as a way of dealing with climate change. – I remember well the situation 20 years ago, when, during work on the division of burdens among EU member states under the Kyoto Protocol, analysts assumed that heating was a necessity and cooling was a luxury. But a situation in which temperatures reach 37-40 degrees Celsius day after day, and the number of “tropical nights” (with temperatures above 20 degrees – PAP) reaches 30-40, is no longer a question of luxury. It becomes a matter of public health – said Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera.
According to her, the European Union must find a way to treat cooling as a public health issue while ensuring that the technologies used for it do not increase emissions.
In the strategy, the Commission proposed that member states prepare strategic plans for building climate resilience.
The strategy also aims to close the insurance gap. Currently, only one-quarter of assets at risk of damage in the EU are insured. The Commission announced the creation of a forum for dialogue with the insurance sector on the availability and affordability of policies. It wants to avoid a situation like the one in the U.S., where insurers are withdrawing from entire regions. Policies are also meant to reward entities that invest in their own resilience.
The Commission also intends to identify the 100 regions in the EU most exposed to climate change.
From Brussels, Magdalena Cedro (PAP)
