Resolution of the European Economic and Social Committee on Jointly tackling an existential threat: social partners and civil society for implementation of ambitious climate action

(2023/C 75/01)

Rapporteurs:

Peter SCHMIDT Isabel CAÑO AGUILAR Sandra PARTHIE Josep PUXEU ROCAMORA Neža REPANŠEK Lutz RIBBE

Legal basis	Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure Resolution
Adopted at plenary	26.10.2022
Plenary session No	573
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	104/1/0

The annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 18 November.

In line with the EESC Bureau memo of 22 February 2022, the EESC established an Ad Hoc Group on the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to prepare the EESC’s COP resolution, aligned with the next COP’s priorities and UNFCCC negotiation processes, and to make the Committee as a whole more familiar with the UNFCCC process and involve it in the climate change negotiations.

The AHG has six members from the NAT section, plus a youth representative who participates regularly, following the own-initiative opinion Towards structured youth engagement on climate and sustainability in the EU decision-making process (1). In the last few months, the AHG met with relevant organisations and institutions, such as the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions, the High-Level Climate Champions office and Climate Action Tracker, as well as representatives from the civil society constituencies — young people, business, farmers, trade unions and environmental NGOs — to exchange information and look for synergies. The climate emergency was stressed in all these conversations.

2022 is becoming a year in which climate change is driving extreme weather events more acutely than ever. From scorching heatwaves and fires in Europe and parts of South Asia to disastrous flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and prolonged drought in East Africa, with thousands of people killed, and millions more displaced or on the brink of famine.

In this regard, the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2) states that, to limit global warming to 1,5 oC, greenhouse gas emissions must peak ‘at the latest before 2025’, that emissions need to halve by 2030, and that deep and immediate emissions reductions across all sectors are imperative in order for this to happen. However, policies presently in place are projected to result in about 2,7 oC and the current country commitments — Nationally Determined Contributions — will limit warming to 2,4 oC (3).

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dramatically added complexity to an already economically and socially difficult situation. Yet the climate urgency cannot be put on hold. Any special measure adopted must be exceptional and time-limited, and the European Union needs to accelerate the reshaping of its energy and climate policy to address short term shocks while advancing towards the inescapable decarbonisation of societies. Europe has to be the leader on climate action, closing the gaps between ambition and policy measures.

The resolution prepared by the AHG members calls on the EU institutions and governments to step up climate ambition, in line with science and scientific information, and places a particular focus on the role of organised civil society in accelerating climate action. Social resilience can only be strengthened with an empowered civil society, social actors and grassroots movements.

We are the last generation that can stop climate change, and the EESC, as the voice of European civil society, ought to play a leading role in promoting these transformations towards carbon-neutral, inclusive and socially fair societies.

Policy recommendations of the European Economic and Social Committee

Stepping up climate ambition to address the climate emergency and enhancing the EU’s climate action

As the voice of organised civil society in Europe, acting in its capacity as an advisory body to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, and as part of the global civil society community,

1.

the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) points out that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted 30 years ago with the ultimate objective of achieving ‘stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system’ (Article 2), and that this objective has not been achieved;

2.

points out that the Paris Agreement in 2015 moved us all from the qualitative objective of the Climate Convention — to prevent interference with the climate — to a quantitative target: ‘holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 oC above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 oC above pre-industrial levels’ (4);

3.

stresses that the 1,5 oC goal will not be sufficient to avoid the dramatic consequences of climate change. As evidence shows, climate change is already altering every region across the globe. Floods, droughts, storms, fires and heatwaves are increasing exponentially, with devastating social effects and an economic impact of billions every year (5);

4.

stresses that we are living through a climate emergency and that we should not give up on Article 2 of the Convention despite the UNFCCC currently falling short in its ability to deliver;

5.

is deeply convinced that policy decisions need to respond to science and scientific information, and points out that the IPCC has set clear benchmarks: emissions must peak ‘at the latest before 2025’ (6) and the world needs to cut emissions by 45 % below 2010 levels by 2030 to keep the possibility of 1,5 oC alive;

6.

acknowledges that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added to an already difficult situation characterised by inflation, high energy and food prices and possible energy shortages, having a harsh impact on citizens’ lives, and creating severe social and economic challenges, at least in the short term. The EESC believes that the current situation raises the urgency of European climate action even further, and that the new geopolitical situation reinforces the need for the EU to accelerate the reshaping of its energy and climate policy;

7.

is convinced that the European Green Deal needs to be strengthened to achieve the objective of decarbonisation of the economy, further reduce external dependencies, ensure resilience and enhance a just transition, and that exceptional derogations to agreed targets can only be granted for a limited time (7); and believes that the development of open strategic autonomy should ensure reduced dependencies in energy, critical raw materials and food;

8.

urges the EU to take a leadership role and calls on the European Commission and the EU Member States to update the nationally determined contribution (NDC) following the Glasgow Climate Pact; calls for a global fair distribution grounded in equity, historical responsibility and capability;

9.

welcomes the European Parliament’s decisions on the ETS (8) and carbon sinks (9), resulting in a slight increase in the EU emissions reduction target, which, though insufficient, constitutes a call to have the EU NDCs increased;

10.

expresses concern at the fact that many countries have announced long-term plans aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050 or 2060 which are not backed up with commensurate short- and medium-term plans, and therefore calls on the European Commission to intensify EU diplomacy efforts on promoting the adoption of European Green Deal-like policy frameworks by the international community, and stands ready to support this endeavour by working with civil society organisations worldwide, taking the Agenda 2030 and the sustainable development goals as the compass for the decisive years to come;

11.

asks the EU to further develop sectoral approaches for tailor-made measures or ‘climate clubs’ that could be developed amongst countries with the most ambitious climate action programmes to encourage faster action on the part of other nations — the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could be a tool for this;

12.

considers that decisive and clearly defined action is necessary to make Article 6 of the Paris Agreement operational and complete the Paris rulebook, which establishes a framework for voluntary international cooperation for countries to reduce emissions to meet their pledges, avoiding some of the pitfalls concerning double counting or the risk of fake emissions reduction credits;

Reviewing our current economic model to effectively address mitigation and adaptation, and ensuring adequate access to climate finance

13.

emphasises that, to accelerate the transition towards a climate-neutral society, we need to review our current economic model to re-think the way in which we consume and produce and the way we value sufficiency, and calls on the EU to propose a new vision of prosperity for people and the planet based on the principles of environmental sustainability, the right to a decent life and the protection of social values (10);

14.

proposes a new governance framework to develop these transformational changes, and encourages governments and regional authorities to create Just Transition Commissions to allow the social partners and civil society organisations, including youth organisations, to provide recommendations and to negotiate and develop national and regional just transition plans (11); considers that existing initiatives to address the social challenges of the green transformation have remained fragmented (12);

15.

believes that the rapid shift towards a decarbonised economy will entail massive challenges for citizens, workers, companies and regions, especially those that are the most reliant on carbon-intensive sectors and industries (13), and that the NDCs should include undertaking a granular mapping and analysis of the impacts the transition will have on employment and skills in the country, sub-regions and sectors, including on subcontractors and downstream value chains, accompanied by national job plans and just transition strategies (14), based on the ILO principle of just transition; therefore endorses the proposal from the Conference on the Future of Europe (15) to ensure a just transition, which protects workers and jobs through proper funding for transition and further research;

16.

underlines that the private sector’s responsibility for achieving the decarbonisation goal will require the rapid transformation of systems on an unprecedented scale, and points out that the private sector has a crucial role to play in the process;

17.

acknowledges the many and varied efforts made by companies and entrepreneurs across the EU to develop business solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate-change related challenges, and believes that innovative and responsible business models should tackle climate change by focusing on measurable sustainability targets, including the reduced use of water, energy or chemicals;

18.

is concerned that the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU is coming with an increase in emissions abroad to satisfy EU consumption, generating GHG spill-over effects (16), and considers that the EU’s GHG inventory approach needs to incorporate the GHG emissions associated with imported products, that decoupling socioeconomic progress from negative domestic and imported impacts on climate and biodiversity has to become a priority, and that CBAM is a supportive measure to achieve this goal;

19.

notes that biodiversity loss and climate change mutually reinforce each other, as stressed by the scientific community, calls for a holistic approach to environmental action addressing the linkages between biodiversity loss and climate change, and proposes reviewing and increasing the size of protected areas and the efforts to protect remaining natural resources under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (17);

20.

is concerned by the fact that the impact of climate change is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable people and that the communities that are least responsible for global emissions are facing the worst impacts and do not always have the resources to cope;

21.

points out that adaptation action is becoming more and more critical as abnormal climate events multiply and that it is essential to better anticipate the impacts of climate change, highlights that the Paris Agreement underscores the importance of national-level adaptation planning processes by committing all countries to report on progress made, and urges that inclusivity be streamlined to avoid reinforcing existing inequalities;

22.

calls for an increase in total climate finance contributions by developed countries, with ‘equal emphasis’ on financing mitigation and adaptation, as, without additional adaptation finance, adaptation planning and implementation will be limited, particularly in developing countries; calls for further steps to ensure that this principle is upheld, given that mitigation safeguards against deepening the climate crisis for future generations, while adaptation safeguards current and future generations from the extreme weather events caused by already existing climate change (18), and recalls that climate change adaptation funding currently accounts for only 25 % of global climate finance and that prior commitments that adaptation finance will increase to 40 % by 2025 are not being met (19);

23.

welcomes the EUR 100 million Commission contribution to the Adaptation Fund, while urging EU Member States to double adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025, and calls for additional efforts to meet the USD 100 billion-goal Delivery Plan; highlights the fact that there is currently no global financing facility to support recovery from the loss and damage these people endure and urges the EU Member States and the Commission to commit to the ‘loss and damage facility’ in order to repair the consequences of climate change;

24.

believes that, as part of climate justice action, EU governments and institutions must develop a forward-looking and comprehensive European migration and asylum policy that provides protection for climate-displaced persons, starting with the formal recognition of climate refugees;

Boosting effective sectoral action to achieve climate neutrality

25.

highlights that the circular economy and bioeconomy are enablers for developing a new vision of prosperity for people, and need to be further accelerated (20), pointing out that circular economy strategies implemented across sectors and nations have the potential to slash global GHG emissions by 39 % (21); expresses concern that the EU is only around 12 % circular despite the major legislative upgrading process launched in 2015 via the first EU Action Plan on circular economy, and believes that further progress can only be achieved by engaging with all civil society components, notably to overcome remaining political, cultural, infrastructural, governance-related, and financial barriers (22);

26.

calls for transition strategies for putting in place sustainable food systems to be duly integrated in NDCs and acknowledges that, while many countries mention the mitigation and adaptation potential of agriculture in their NDCs, very few set targets in relation to other stages of the food system (23), leaving opportunities largely untapped (24); reiterates its recommendations to adopt comprehensive food policies, such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, including climate measures, and to ensure structured engagement of stakeholders across the food supply chain (25) and across all levels of governance, particularly placing producers at the heart of agricultural strategies and involving them in policy-making;

27.

is concerned about the situation of Africa, which has contributed less than 4 % of global emissions but stands out disproportionately as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world and, given that COP27 is taking place in Africa, makes a clear plea to the EU to prioritise financial, technical and capacity-building resources for Africa to support the continent’s commitment at the Paris COP21, and to take account of the fact that most of the African Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) contain mitigation and adaptation targets that are conditional on receiving appropriate international support, bringing into question the protection of high-value conservation ecosystems such as forests or savannahs, and fossil fuel extraction;

28.

calls for an immediate halt to fossil fuel subsidies, welcomes the communication on REPowerEU, as it presents solutions in line with the objectives of the Green Deal and the European Energy Union (26) (27), and believes that governments need to provide a framework for investment in breakthrough technologies in areas such as energy efficiency and renewable energy production, through support for research, innovation and development, and that regulation should be designed to enable and empower the development and market uptake of new technologies, including demand-side measures to create lead markets and incentivise consumption of low-carbon products (28);

29.

welcomes digital solutions enabling environmental protection and sustainability transformation in transport, energy systems, buildings, agriculture and other sectors, but also notes that overall digitalisation has so far not contributed to a reduction in energy demand and carbon emissions, and therefore stresses the need for supportive policies to mitigate rebound and induction effects (29);

30.

underlines that climate change also has serious repercussions for companies, in particular SMEs, such as interruption of supply chains and damage to production sites due to extreme weather phenomena, and forces them to make sometimes costly changes to their business and operation models, as well as investments to cope with regulatory or other requirements; considers that early adopters of new sustainable business models should be supported to ensure that their innovation does not lead to a competitive disadvantage;

31.

emphasises that support to the private sector must respect the principles of equitable access to SME finance tools and should be based solely on climate objectives (30), and that extensive work across value chains and cross-sector collaboration will be required;

32.

considers that harmonisation and standardisation are key to achieving industry-wide scalability of solutions through technology, skills enhancement and regulation that should be supported by EU governments at international level, and that it will be key for SMEs in particular to get accompanying instruments and capacity building to meet new requirements and increase market access in the EU;

Empowering civil society to accelerate climate action and calling for a new governance framework

33.

highlights that the scale of action needed requires integrated, multilevel policies and cross-sectoral solutions with a genuine engagement of civil society, and therefore proposes a new governance framework to develop these transformational changes;

34.

considers that, at workplace level, this new governance framework should guarantee social dialogue by ensuring workers’ rights and participation and strengthening collective agreements;

35.

considers that broader dialogue should also be strengthened, with the input of the regions, rural actors and cities, social partners, cooperatives and civil society, to ensure social justice and credibility, and to give specific meaning to the commitment that no one should be left behind (31). For instance, facilitating prosumer approaches can speed up the transition to a cleaner energy system, create new economic models, and help to protect the most vulnerable groups in our societies from being, for example, cut off from heat, light and information technology;

36.

is firmly convinced that bottom-up and grassroots initiatives need to be truly supported and encouraged to accelerate climate change mitigation and adaptation and strengthen social resilience, thus unleashing the potential of a culture of cooperation and bottom-up solutions; and believes that there is an equal and essential need to invest more in social innovation to mainstream the cultural and societal changes required to embed climate protection into the daily lives of businesses, public authorities and households;

37.

believes that gender should not be addressed as a separate and siloed issue but should be considered fundamental, in order to avoid gender-blind measures and policies. Climate change does not have the same impact on all sections of the population, and climate change policies, if not designed correctly, can perpetuate these injustices and unbalances. For example, women’s unequal participation in decision-making processes and labour markets compounds inequalities and often prevents women from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation (32);

38.

is convinced that stronger youth engagement in decision-making processes, from the drafting of legislative proposals and initiatives through to implementation, monitoring and follow-up, will best take on board the intergenerational dimension of these shifts (33). This is why, since 2021, the EESC has started to include a youth delegate in the official EU delegation to UNFCCC COP meetings, and has committed to amplifying the voices of young people and youth organisations within the Committee’s work; the EESC strongly recommends that parties and other stakeholders adopt a similar approach;

39.

acknowledges the role of indigenous people on the frontlines of climate change — indigenous people steward over 80 % of the planet’s remaining biodiversity (34); welcomes the increasing engagement of indigenous peoples in climate policy and urges parties to actively involve them in implementing climate action;

40.

the EESC commits to undertaking actions to implement the aforementioned policy recommendations.

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(1)  OJ C 429, 11.12.2020, p. 44.

(2)  https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/.

(3)  https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures/.

(4)  The Paris Agreement.

(5)  Based on: ‘Economic losses from weather and climate-related extremes in Europe reached around half a trillion euros over past 40 years’ — European Environment Agency; ‘New report: World counts the cost of a year of climate breakdown’ — UK charity fighting global poverty — Christian Aid — Media Centre; ‘The Costs of Extreme Weather Events Caused by Climate Change’ — CMCC; ‘Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters’ — National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

(6)  Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change — IPCC.

(7)  EESC resolution on the War in Ukraine and its economic, social and environmental impact (OJ C 290, 29.7.2022, p. 1).

(8)  Climate change: Parliament pushes for faster EU action and energy independence.

(9)  Fit for 55: Parliament agrees to higher EU carbon sink ambitions by 2030.

(10)  EESC opinion on The sustainable economy we need (OJ C 106, 31.3.2020, p. 1).

(11)  EESC opinion on ‘Fit for 55’: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 101).

(12)  EESC opinion on Social dialogue within the green transition (OJ C 486, 21.12.2022, p. 95).

(13)  EESC opinion on ‘Fit for 55’: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 101).

(14)  EESC opinion on ‘Fit for 55’: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 101).

(15)  Conference on the Future of Europe — Recommendations adopted by the European Citizens’ Panel.

(16)  2021 Europe Sustainable Development Report — SDSN Europe.

(17)  Ongoing EESC opinion (NAT/841) on Nature restoration targets under EU biodiversity strategy.

(18)  EESC opinion on New EU strategy on adaptation to climate change (OJ C 374, 16.9.2021, p. 84).

(19)  António Guterres: ‘50% of All Climate Finance Needed for Adaptation’.

(20)  EESC opinion on Developing synergies across different circular economy roadmaps (OJ C 14, 15.1.2020, p. 29).

(21)  Circularity Gap Report 2021 ‘Climate Change Mitigation through the Circular Economy’.

(22)  EESC opinion on New EU strategy on adaptation to climate change (OJ C 374, 16.9.2021, p. 84).

(23)  Enhancing NDCs For Food Systems — recommendations for decision-makers — NDC Action Project.

(24)  EESC opinion on Food security and sustainable food systems (OJ C 194, 12.5.2022, p. 72).

(25)  EESC opinion on ‘From farm to fork’: a sustainable food strategy (OJ C 429, 11.12.2020, p. 268).

(26)  EESC opinion on Climate justice (OJ C 81, 2.3.2018, p. 22) and on New EU strategy on adaptation to climate change (OJ C 374, 16.9.2021, p. 84).

(27)  EESC opinion on REPowerEU: Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy (OJ C 323, 26.8.2022, p. 123).

(28)  EESC opinion on ‘Fit for 55’: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 101).

(29)  EESC opinion on Digitalisation and Sustainability — status quo and need for action in civil society perspective (OJ C 429, 11.12.2020, p. 187).

(30)  EESC opinion on ‘Fit for 55’: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 101).

(31)  EESC opinion on ‘Fit for 55’: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 101).

(32)  2020 Pocket Guide to Gender Equality under the UNFCCC — WEDO.

(33)  EESC opinion on Towards structured youth engagement on climate and sustainability in the EU decision-making process (OJ C 429, 11.12.2020, p. 44).

(34)  ‘Indigenous peoples defend Earth’s biodiversity — but they’re in danger’.