The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Amber Rudd)

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rory Stewart) and I attended the EU Environment Council in Luxembourg on 15 June. Dr Aileen McLeod, Scottish Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform also attended.

Ministers expressed views on the road to the United Nations framework convention on climate change, 21st conference of the parties in Paris this year (UNFCCC CoP 21). The Commission and some member states raised the importance of further outreach to allies, the legal form, agreeing a five-year cycle of review of mitigation commitments and a long-term goal, developing a finance package and moving towards parity between mitigation and adaptation elements of the deal. I emphasised the importance of ensuring the EU had flexibility to negotiate on both adaptation and finance, and pursuit of a robust review process both to ensure the adequacy of the agreement and public confidence. All member states called for more parties to present their mitigation pledges, or intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), as quickly as possible. Some member states indicated concern regarding specific dates or numbers within a long-term goal and that parity between mitigation and adaptation would create false expectations.

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