COP21: The Road from Paris to Vietnam
After the European Union (EU) Climate Diplomacy Day in 2014 and 2015, the EU is dedicating a whole week to the issue of climate change in 2016. Diplomatic missions from the EU and its Member States around the world will participate in reaching out to governments, communities and organisations, calling for renewed impetus and highlighting positive global action on climate change.
The European Union Ambassadors in Vietnam strongly encourage Vietnam to continue its efforts to ratify the Paris Agreement. The European Union Ambassadors in Vietnam furthermore maintain their commitment to share accumulated experience in developing and implementing ambitious climate policies with Vietnam.
In December 2015, 195 countries gathered in Paris to negotiate a new global climate agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The result – the first-ever legally binding global climate deal – sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2oC. To further underline their determination, countries also agreed to pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1,5oC. Ten months past, the EU and its Member States remain proud of that historic outcome. However, there is no room for complacency, for the vision of a global low emissions future to materialise our attention needs to turn to putting words into action.
Already this year, our partners around the world have shown encouraging signs to maintain the unprecedented political momentum in support of climate action. More than 180 countries have now signed the Paris Agreement and 26 have completed their domestic ratification procedures and become Parties to the Agreement.
The EU and its Member States are taking concrete implementation very seriously. We are moving forward with our ambitious domestic climate policies, with new proposals that will help us meet our emissions reduction target of at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990' level and further drive the transition to a low-carbon economy.
However important ratification is towards implementation of the Paris Agreement, it will not deliver the necessary greenhouse gas reductions, adaptation actions and financing needs on its own. Quintessential to this agreement are the steps countries will take to meet the commitments made, starting with the policy and legislative frameworks required to develop robust national climate plans and international approaches.
The EU has more than two decades of experience in developing and implementing ambitious climate policies, but we know that many of our partners are doing so for the first time. We stand ready to share our experience and lessons learned in helping developing and implementing Vietnam's Plan for Implementation of the Paris Agreement and make the transition to a low-carbon climate-resilient economy.
As well as developing long-term climate strategies, there are actions governments need to take now. In just a few months, countries will gather in Marrakech for COP 22 to start adding the technical detail to the breakthrough political agreement in Paris. Building capacity to act, addressing loss and damage associated with climate change and setting out a roadmap to reach climate finance targets are just some of the issues on the table.
But it is not just national governments who need to take action. Provincial and local leaders are equally essential to enable national ambitions and commitments to be translated in day-to-day practices. The same stands for businesses, research centres and academics, civil society and individuals who will deliver the action on the ground that will really make a difference.
Several local initiatives have been exerting their utmost efforts to ensure these political commitments are translated into practice, from which we highlight Vietnam's first clean energy commune created through a Local Energy Planning, in Nam Cuong commune in Tien Hai District of Thai Binh province. This Local Energy Planning ensures that local governments and communities cooperate in developing a common energy plan that addresses issues related to energy supply and demand in their area, contributing towards a more sustainable Vietnam.
Paris was a defining moment in the safeguarding of the planet for future generations. We must maintain that momentum in the months and years ahead, because we cannot afford otherwise. There is much to do, and we look forward to continued partnership with Vietnam.
