The host of this year’s UN climate summit COP24, Poland won the shameful Fossil of the Day Award from Climate Action Network International today. The dubious award was handed down to Poland for promoting coal interests and turning a blind eye to the need to ramp up climate pledges by 2020.
One day after the EU Commission published its Long-Term Climate Strategy aiming at net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and just a few days before the the COP24 UNFCCC climate negotiations, which just started in Katowice, Poland - the ministers of Western Balkan countries which are parties to the Energy Community Treaty, gathered for the Ministerial Council, the Energy Community’s governing body, to pledge allegiance to the EU’s climate plans.
Read more: The Western Balkans pledge allegiance to EU’s energy and climate plan
EU leaders of Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain attending the climate summit COP24 have recognized that further climate action is necessary to reach the 1.5°C temperature goal set out in the Paris Agreement.
Read more: COP24 starts with bold statements on the need to increase climate action
Wednesday, 5 December 14:00, Press Conference Room Area F—Theatre at COP 24 Venue in Katowice
On Wednesday 5 December, plaintiffs, lawyers and campaigners representing six climate cases around the world will attend the UN climate talks in Katowice to share updates about the legal actions that aim to ensure that national governments deliver the urgent cuts in emissions necessary to avert catastrophic climate change.
Read more: Press Conference Invitation - COP 24: How Courts Are Enforcing Emission Cuts
On 2 December, government leaders will gather in Katowice, Poland, for the COP24 climate summit, where all countries of the world, including all EU Member States, need to commit to adopting higher 2030 climate targets by 2020; agree on the Paris rulebook, which will govern how the landmark agreement will be implemented; and provide adequate support for developing countries. To stay below 1.5°C in line with the landmark IPCC report, the EU needs to commit to significantly increase its 2030 target, even beyond the 55% reduction some Member States and the European Parliament are calling for.