NORWAY ASSOCIATES WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD, ANNOUNCES 30 - 40%

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000064 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV KTIA ENRG NO SUBJECT: NORWAY ASSOCIATES WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD, ANNOUNCES 30 - 40% EMISSION TARGET REF: Oslo 00030 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The GoN announced its support for the Copenhagen Accord and presented a 30-40 percent emissions reduction target by 2020, based on 1990 levels. Minister for Environment and Development Erik Solheim will travel to Washington D.C. February ¶11. End Summary ¶2. (U) On January 25, the Ministry of Environment formally announced the GoN's support of the Copenhagen Accord, confirmed by a letter to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Minister of Environment and Development Eric Solheim said that "the Norwegian Government will do its best to build upon this agreement to achieve an ambitious result at the climate change conference in Mexico this year." ¶3. (U) The GoN announced its emission target Friday, January 29, requiring a 30-40 percent cut in emissions by 2020, based on 1990 levels. The GoN had previously pledged to the 30 percent target, but appears willing to shift to 40 percent if part of a comprehensive and legally binding 2012 agreement involving all major emitters. ¶4. (SBU) Media coverage of Norway's association with the Copenhagen Accord has generally been positive, and the emission target numbers were expected. Norwegian NGO Nature and Youth criticized the incentive mechanism in the flexible 30-40 percent target, noting that leading the way with a commitment to 40 percent would have been more effective than conditioning the final number on the participation of other nations. Commentators have also pointed to the lack of a clear roadmap for how these ambitious targets would be met in a relatively short time. In a widely sourced statement, researchers at the Dutch climate group EcoFys said that all industrial nations, bar Norway and Japan, have not submitted sufficiently high targets. ¶5. (SBU) Minister of Environment and Development Erik Solheim and Acting Chief Negotiator Audun Rosland plan to stop in Washington D.C. on February 11 en route to Mexico. Rosland told PolOff February 1 that Solheim would like to meet with U.S. Climate Envoy Todd Stern and Deputy Climate Envoy Jonathan Pershing while in D.C. ¶6. (U) Begin text of Norway's submission to UNFCCC: UNFCCC Secretariat P.O. Box 260124 D-53153 Bonn Germany 201000101 The Copenhagen Accord - Norway`s emissions targets Norway officially announced its willingness to be associated with the Copenhagen Accord in my letter to the UNFCCC Secretariat dated ¶25. January 2010. I hereby submit information on Norway's quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020 for inclusion in Annex I pursuant to paragraph 4 of the Copenhagen Accord. The targets are put forward under the understanding that the Copenhagen Accord is not a legally binding document, but OSLO 00000064 002 OF 002 constitutes a political platform giving direction for further negotiations. Norway will do its utmost to achieve a legally binding agreement for emission reduction commitments beyond 2012 including all major emitters. As part of a global and comprehensive agreement for the period beyond 2012 where major emitting Parties agree on emission reductions in line with the 2 degrees Celsius target, Norway will move to a level of 40 per cent reduction for 2020 based on 1990 levels. The Norwegian pledge on emissions targets was presented in October 2009 at the meetings of the ad hoc working groups in Bangkok, when Norway officially announced its preparedness to increase the initial pledge of 30 per cent to 40 per cent, provided that major emitting Parties agree on adequate emission reductions in line with the 2 degrees Celsius target. Further information related to Norway`s limitation and reduction objectives has been made available to Parties through the AWG-KP document "Compilation of information relating to possible quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives as submitted by Parties", informal note by the secretariat 8. December 2009. An important feature of Norwegian climate change policy is the flexible and cost effective Kyoto Protocol approach. The continuation of the Kyoto Protocol or its basic elements, in particular the availability of flexible mechanisms for compliance with emission reduction commitments, as part of a future framework, is therefore an underlying premise for Norway`s emissions targets. Norway underlines the importance of pursuing various approaches, including opportunities to use markets, as stated in paragraph 7 of the Copenhagen Accord. On this background, and pursuant to paragraph 4 of the Copenhagen Accord, Norway submits the following information in the format given in Appendix I of the Copenhagen Accord for compilation in an INF document: Annex I Parties Quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020 Emissions reduction in 2020: -30 to - 40 % * Base year: 1990 * As part of a global and comprehensive agreement for the period beyond 2012 where major emitting Parties agree on emission reductions in line with the 2 degrees Celsius target, Norway will move to a level of 40 % reduction for 2020. I reconfirm Norway`s commitment to a negotiating process that should lead to an agreement that aims to reduce global emissions in order to keep the increase in global average temperature below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, as recognized by the Copenhagen Accord and based on the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Yours sincerely, Erik Solheim End text. WHITE