Securing a new climate regime

As adopted by the Congress Plenary

At the initiative of: Centerpartiet (Sweden)

The Congress of the Liberal International, convened in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on 26 April 2014

Noting that:

The international community so far has failed to reach an agreement on climate change.
UNFCCC Parties have agreed that a new global climate agreement shall be reached in 2015 and enter into force by 2020.
There is a great certainty that human emissions of greenhouse gasses are the cause of global climate change, according to the IPCC.
It is still possible to limit the temperature increase to below two degrees, according to the IPCC.
Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
Europe’s system for emissions trading is the biggest in the world and regulates half of Europe’s emissions.
Similar emissions trading systems around the world have emerged and have been used for several years
By linking different systems, the market would grow, allowing emissions to be reduced in a more cost-effective way, as capital is diverted towards the cheapest emissions reductions available on the market.
An expanded emissions trading and linking different systems would increase economic efficiency as it is more likely that emissions reductions take place where the cost of implementing it is lowest, the more participants, sectors and emissions sources are covered by the trade.
The Clean development mechanism (CDM) and financial mechanisms have successfully mobilized more than USD 300 billion in new investment and emissions reductions of 1.4 billion tons CO2 equivalents.
CDM provides flexibility to facilitate more ambitious and cost-effective emission commitments and accelerate the transition in developing countries.

Stresses:

The urgent need for immediate and ambitious action to combat climate change.
That linking regional CO2 markets to form one global carbon market will benefit the industry, reduce costs for emissions reductions and reduce competition distortions between companies competing in the same market.
The need for an agreement on common requirements for monitoring, reporting and verification.

Calls on:

All leaders to table bold and new contributions towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the UN Climate Summit in September 2014 aiming at providing real progress in the efforts to conclude a global agreement by 2015 to keep climate change below the two degree target.
Political leaders to increase efforts in including global emissions trading system as an instrument to achieve effectively emissions reductions.
Parties to bring forward negotiations in the ICAO and IMO on emission trading schemes for the airline and shipping sector;
All industrialised countries to take responsibilities as laid down in the Kyoto Protocol for the pre-2020 period;
National, subnational and local governments and parliaments and legislators, supranational organisations, intergovernmental bodies, private sector, finance institutions and civil society to create a strong and effective global climate community that can support and implement to achieve a rapid transformation towards a low-emissions and resilient development at all levels.