At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, the EP Delegation meets with Mr Mohamed NASHEED, Special Envoy of the President, Maldives Head of Delegation, with members of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). Statements by Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA,NL) and by Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE,NL)

conference

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (T)

EP delegation

GERBRANDY, Gerben-Jan (ALDE, NL)

Poland

fight against climate change (T)

COP 24 (T)

UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland: meetings with Mr Mohamed NASHEED, Special Envoy of the President, Maldives Head of Delegation, with members of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)

View of the building where COP24 is taking place in Katowice, Poland (2 shots). 

Shots of the meeting of the EU Delegation with Mr. Mohammed Nasheed, Special Envoy of the President, Maldives Head of Delegation and with members of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) (5 shots). 

Shots of the Family picture being taken after the meeting (2 shots). 

Shots of members from the EU delegation speaking at the meeting (5 shots).

Shots of the family picture being taken after the meeting.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), Lot of change, impacts, the island I don't know. We all know that sea level rise is happening and it will help these islands first. Though they are pretty negative on the lack of progress and they are complaining about that. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), If you look at the protests on the streets, people were expecting more from this summit. 2018 was really an important deadline that was given when we agreed in Paris. And we should agree on the rule book and the rules of the game. But there was also a serious attempt to look at each other and see if we are doing enough and we are not doing enough. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), I think how it looks now is that there will be an agreement but the agreement will be a lot of texts around the rulebook. There are still a lot of brackets because that is always the UN way of keeping things open. So I think all the attention in the last days will go into those texts in the rule book. And I think what will be the cost is that on the ambition, not much will change. And most of the process to higher ambition is being postponed to the General Assembly of the UN in September.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Being not prepared to die I think is a very reasonable point of view that the small island states are, well they are the first to suffer from climate change. So their appeal is always very strong and sometimes even desperate. He was criticising the whole UN process that it is far to slow. I can only agree with that. The only problem is that we don't have many alternatives. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), I believe I can be optimistic about the rulebook. But there will be a result. I'm afraid I won't be that satisfied with the result. I think the richer part of the world has to give in too much to the poor countries, allowing them much more flexibility and more time to align themselves with what we agreed in Paris. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), On additional ambition, I think this COP will be a disappointment and that a special climate summit, the Secretary-General of the UN will organise next year . It is going to be very crucial for additional ambition. 