AP Interview: EU climate boss says emissions cuts not enough
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Europe's climate chief has acknowledged for the first time that climate pledges made by national governments ahead of a major U.N. conference fall short of meeting the international goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said the EU's projections show the current pledges to curb greenhouse gas emissions would put world on a path toward 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming.
Canete noted the target of the EU — the world's third biggest greenhouse gas polluter — didn't include international credits for funding to reduce emissions in developing countries "which opens the possibility of raising the level of ambition."
The deal envisioned in Paris would be the first where all countries, both rich and poor, commit to take action to fight global warming, which scientists say is chiefly caused by burning fossil fuels.