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“For the first time, we are proposing a ‘carbon budget’,” said Claude Turmes, a Green lawmaker who introduced the proposal as part of the European Parliament’s report on the governance of the Energy Union, which was voted on in plenary, January 17.

The carbon budget proposal “will set out exactly what can still be emitted into our atmosphere if we are to comply with the 1.5 and 2 degrees limits set out in Paris and achieve a net-zero carbon economy by 2050,” Turmes said in a statement after the vote, hailing “a great victory for the climate and citizens”.

“The aim for net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest is finally a target in line with the ambition of the Paris Agreement. It’s a landmark achievement, and a clear signpost that every country and sector must be involved in the transition,“ Phil MacDonald, Sandbag’s Interim Managing Director commented.

According to the EURACTIV, the Energy Union governance regulation is the cornerstone of a broader ‘clean energy’ package of laws that was tabled by the European Commission in December 2016. It sets an overarching framework for achieving the EU’s energy and climate policy goals until 2030, including a strict timeline and a review mechanism to ensure the bloc meets objectives on renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

But support for Turmes’s carbon budget idea was far from a foregone conclusion as the largest political group in Parliament, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), appeared divided on the issue ahead of the vote.

Quentin Genard from the energy and climate think tank E3G, called the Parliament vote on carbon budget “a game-changer”.

“We could not have expected a better outcome. If the carbon budget went through in Parliament, it means the proposal probably got backing even by some EPP members,” Genard told EURACTIV. “It was quite a comfortable majority in the end, which means there is probably a shift within the EPP group in support of that,” he said.

Getting backing from EU member states on the proposal won’t be easy, however, as there is no common position on this in the Council of Ministers, which held tense discussions on the clean energy package in December.

More broadly, EU member states backed long-term climate and energy strategies at the December meeting. These were “one of the few elements where the Council strengthened the Commission’s initial proposal,” Genard remarked.

But timing already looks tight. EU member states are required to submit their draft Integrated National Energy and Climate Plans by the end of the year, which means the Commission has to make a move beforehand to introduce a carbon budget.

The text approved by the Parliament actually requires the Commission to calculate the EU’s remaining Carbon budget by 1 July this year. If the Council ends up backing the idea, this will be no small feat and time is already scarce to collect and analyse the necessary data.

“As soon as you introduce a carbon budget, you need evidence, so the Commission needs to do some number-crunching,” Genard said.

“It means the Commission needs to start working on it now to be able to deliver on time”.

Outside European Union, China has invested heavily on reducing carbon emissions.

Xie Ji, deputy chief of the Chinese delegation to the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22), said on Nov. 7 that China has ironed out a concrete program to help other developing countries to become more climate-resilient. "We will help build up ten low-carbon pilot zones, launch 100 climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, and offer training programs for 1,000 climate-related professionals," he said.

What Xie called the "10-100-1000" project is part of the effort that China has made in recent years to help other developing countries fight against climate change. The country has earmarked a total of 580 million yuan (about US$85 million) since 2011 to help developing countries, according to Zhang Yucheng, deputy director of the International Cooperation Division of the Department of Climate Change of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The most recent offer is the South-South Climate Cooperation Fund, a US$3.1 billion fund pledged by Chinese President Xi Jinping last September to help developing countries address climate issues.

*(Plenary session week 3 2018 in Strasbourg - Debate on energy efficiency, renewables and the governance of the Energy Union. Image credit: European Parliament)