Climate change is making the Arctic more accessible to human activities now, such as exploitation of natural resources and increased shipping, but the Arctic also has an important role to play as an early-warning sign for potentially catastrophic global climate change.

Given the considerable efforts necessary to combat climate change and to adapt to its inevitable effects, it is appropriate that at least 50 % of the proceeds from the auctioning of allowances should be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to fund research and development for reducing emissions and adaptation, to develop renewable energies to meet the Union’s commitment to using 20 % renewable energies by 2020, to meet the commitment of the Community to increase energy efficiency by 20 % by 2020, to provide for the environmentally safe capture and ge ...[+++]ological storage of greenhouse gases, to contribute to the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund and to the Adaptation Fund as made operational by the Poznan Conference on Climate Change (COP 14 and COP/MOP 4), to provide for measures to avoid deforestation and facilitate adaptation in developing countries, and to address social aspects such as possible increases in electricity prices in lower and middle income households.

1. Welcomes the Commission's proposal for the establishment of a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) between the EU and poor developing countries, which are most vulnerable to climate change and least equipped to adapt to it, as called for in the Commission's Green Paper of 29 June 2007 entitled "Adapting to climate change in Europe – options for EU action" (COM(2007)0354); emphasises the potential of the strengthened dialogue to feed positively into the international climate ...[+++] change negotiations in Poznań in 2008 and Copenhagen in 2009;

11. Considers it necessary to mainstream the fight against climate change into all of the EU's external relations; believes that the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy has enormous potential to play an important role in enhancing the EU's capacity to prevent and deal with conflicts accentuated by climate change, such as territorial disputes and tensions over access to natural resources, such as water, and natural disasters; considers that further ways should be examined of integrating climate ...[+++] change adaptation and mitigation into already existing external policies and financial instruments; invites the High Representative to take forward, with the Commission, his initial reflection on "international security and climate change" in the context of the forthcoming update of the European Security Strategy;

7. Is of the opinion that the EU budget in its present format cannot address effectively and realistically the goals that the EU has set for climate change; considers that European citizens need a tangible European initiative to face the consequences of climate change; deplores the fact that the support to climate change measures is still very limited in the EU budget; is convinced that a serious effort should be made to increase and concentrate adequate financial resources to boost European leadership in facing the consequences of climate change; inv ...[+++]ites the Commission to present, by 15 March 2009, an ambitious plan for an adequate increase of climate change funds which considers the establishment of a specific "climate change fund" or the creation of a dedicated budget line which would improve the budget capability to deal with these issues, especially by mitigation, adaptation and stabilisation measures; believes that the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) should also be considered as a potential resource at EU level;

7. Is of the opinion that the EU budget in its present format cannot address effectively and realistically the goals that the EU has set for climate change; considers that European citizens need a tangible European initiative to face the consequences of climate change; deplores the fact that the support to climate change measures is still very limited in the EU budget; is convinced that a serious effort should be made to increase and concentrate adequate financial resources to boost European leadership in facing the consequences of climate change; inv ...[+++]ites the Commission to present, by 15 March 2009, an ambitious plan for an adequate increase of climate change funds which considers the establishment of a specific "climate change fund" or the creation of a dedicated budget line which would improve the budget capability to deal with these issues, especially by mitigation, adaptation and stabilisation measures; believes that the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) should also be considered as a potential resource at EU level;