28 March 2014
EU, US Call for Ambitious Mitigation Contributions from Major Emitters
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The EU and the US held a Summit in Brussels, Belgium, which concluded with the adoption of a joint statement emphasizing the two countries' "strong partnership." In the statement, the US and the EU call on major economies and significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters to make ambitious mitigation contributions in the 2015 agreement to be adopted in Paris.

usa-eu-flag26 March 2014: The EU and the US held a Summit in Brussels, Belgium, which concluded with the adoption of a joint statement emphasizing the two countries’ “strong partnership.” In the statement, the US and the EU call on major economies and significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters to make ambitious mitigation contributions in the 2015 agreement to be adopted in Paris.

In the statement, both countries reaffirm their commitment to negotiating an outcome with legal force applicable to all parties, noting that sustainable economic growth is dependent on successfully addressing global climate change. The joint statement also stresses the importance of limiting global temperature increase to less than 2°C and recalls the threat posed by climate change to global security.

The leaders underline the importance for mitigation contributions to be transparent, quantifiable and verifiable, pointing to their current efforts to implement their mitigation pledges and their intention to put forward new targets for the first quarter of 2015. The statement further highlights the two countries’ initiatives to decrease deforestation, improve energy efficiency, expand renewable energy adoption, and mobilize finance. [White House Press Release] [EU Council Press Release]

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