Introduction: linking climate and development

Many areas of EU policy have implications that are directly relevant to climate change. Since the EU has assumed a leadership role in the international negotiations under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, it is crucial that climate aspects enter into other areas of EU Foreign Policy, such as that of development co-operation.

Developing countries have contributed little to the historic build-up of greenhouse gases through human activity, although their present day emissions are overtaking those of industrialised countries. These same countries are projected to be most hard hit by the expected impacts of climate change, such as droughts and floods. Human lifes, settlements, food production and drinking water supplies will be at risk. To prevent or at least alleviate the suffering caused by climate change (usually summarised as adaptation), which will increase the already dire conditions of especially the poorest people on this planet, must become an integral aspect of climate policy.

In order to prevent catastrophic changes in the Earth's climate in the long-run, global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced significantly over the coming decades (see also our webpage on Future Action on Climate Change / Post-2012 architecture). Achieving this goal will be impossible if every citizen on this planet would be causing the same pollution levels as US Americans or Europeans are doing today. It is of crucial importance that cleaner processes and technologies are employed to allow prosperity at lower carbon emission levels. Moreover, many measures that could be taken to limit climate emissions would also bring other more direct benefits, such as better health through cleaner air and water and reduced reliance on fossil fuel imports.

The challenge for future climate change policy is, therefore, to align the goals of poverty eradication and economic progress with a low climate emission pathway in a truly sustainable development