Reacting to new EU rules to tackle climate change published today, Copa & Cogeca welcomed the fact that flexibility has been included in the plans to enable the EU agriculture and forestry sectors to curb climate change in a balanced way, without jeopardizing food security.
Copa & Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said “The Paris global climate deal stated that agriculture must adapt in a balanced way without putting food production at risk. This needs to be respected. It makes no sense after all to solve the climate problem by squeezing efficient EU farmers or their cooperatives and putting quality food supplies at risk. We consequently welcome the fact that flexibility has been incorporated in the Effort Sharing and LULUCF Decisions published today to enable the EU agriculture and forestry sectors to fight climate change in a balanced manner. We must ensure that there is adequate flexibility between the sectors included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and non-Emissions Trading Scheme (non-ETS) and LULUCF”.
“This is particularly important given these sectors also absorb emissions from the atmosphere. The EU agriculture and forestry sectors make a big contribution to fighting climate change, helping the EU to cut its greenhouse gas emissions . Renewable raw materials from these sectors are already providing solutions and contribute to the further development of the bioeconomy, which is crucial for addressing adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. We believe that there is room for improvement in exploring synergies and in delivering efficiency improvements from proper carbon accounting to nutrient planning”, Pesonen added.
