In order to keep climate change below 2ºC, the European Council reconfirmed in February 2011 the EU objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 compared to 1990, in the context of necessary reductions according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change by developed countries as a group[3].

Taking the above background into consideration, the resolution proposed by the Group of the European People’s Party and European Democrats provides a balance of criticisms of Russia with hopes for a warmer diplomatic climate, fortified with principles reflecting our system of values.

The first thing it can teach us is that we have to prepare the networks for long-term investments in energy; electricity generation will migrate to the coasts, and I am talking here not just about wind energy, but also about condensing power plants, which will find it impossible to cool themselves down further inland by reason of the warmer climate and warmer rivers.

Action (EU and Member States) Explore the possibilities to improve policies and develop measures which address biodiversity loss and climate change in an integrated manner to fully exploit co-benefits and avoid ecosystem feedbacks that accelerate global warming Develop guidelines and a set of tools (guidance and exchange of best practices) by the end of 2009 to ensure that the River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) are climate-proofed Ensure that climate change is taken into account in the implementation of the Floods Directive. Assess the need for further measures to enhance water efficiency in agriculture, households and buildings Explore ...[+++] the potential for policies and measures to boost ecosystem storage capacity for water in Europe Draft guidelines by 2010 on dealing with the impact of climate change on the management of Natura 2000 sites |

Without prejudice to relevant Community law, in particular Community rules on State aid and Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on Information Society services (20), Member States may promote the placing on the market of products and equipment which use alternatives to gases with a high global warming potential and which are efficient, innovative and further reduce the climate impact.

Certain stocks are migrating because of the effects of global warming, and that has significant economic consequences for the fleets which depend on them.