EU submits formal pledge of climate action to UN

The European Union submitted on Friday its formal climate action plan after 2020 to the United Nations. The ambition of the pledge, however, was doubted by some NGOs.

According to the plan, called the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), which posted on the website of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the EU pledged to reduce its greenhouse emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels with domestic efforts.

The EU said that its target represents "a significant progression" and is inconsistent with needs to halve global emissions by 2050 compared to 1990.

Some NGOs, however, doubted that the target, which was initially set in an EU summit last October, was far from sufficient regarding the EU's historical responsibility and current capability.

"The science is very clear that such weak targets, combined with the ongoing use of discredited carbon markets, means we are not on track to tackle the climate crisis, and that the EU is now complicit in committing us to further destruction," said Philippine climate activist Lidy Nacpil in an emailed statement.

In previous rounds of UN climate talks, officials from developing countries had criticized that the 40-percent target should be reached by 2020 instead of 2030 since emissions in the EU had already been reduced by 19 percent in 2013 compared with 1990 levels.

Currently, the EU only agreed to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990.

A lack of contents about finance and technology support to developing countries and compensation to invulnerable countries in EU's submission on Friday also triggered disappointment.

"How can we adapt to climate change impacts without a commitment on finance? How can African governments scale up their climate action if they don't know what finance and technology is available to them?" said Azeb Girmai from LDC-Watch in Ethiopia.

"A lack of a finance commitment is a lack of a commitment to a meaningful climate deal in Paris," she said.

The EU was the second party to submit its contribution to the Bonn-based UNFCCC.

Countries were asked to make their submission before October this year, in advance of a new universal climate agreement to be inked in Paris in December.

For those who are "ready to do so ", the deadline was set at the end of March. Endit