France and Germany call for reform of Global Environmental Governance
21st September 2009: In a joint letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy have suggested that the ‘broad lines of agreement’ for Copenhagen need to be ‘clarified’. In particular they call for consensus on limiting global temperature increase to below pre-industrial levels, cutting GHG emissions by 50% on 1990 levels by 2050.
To achieve this goal they have outlined the responsibility of developed nations to commit to binding targets of 80% cuts by 2050, but have also emphasised that emerging economies must reduce emissions growth below business as usual and that developing countries should commit to low carbon growth plans.
The letter also points out two important elements for ensuring the effectiveness of a deal at Copenhagen, including measures to avoid ‘carbon leakage’, as well as the setting up of a ‘new institutional architecture to foster the development of international environmental law’. In a strongly worded paragraph, the French and German Heads of State suggest that ‘Environmental Governance must be overhauled’ and have specifically called for ‘the momentum provided by Copenhagen to make further progress towards the creation of a World Environmental Organization’.
