Christian Aid Welcomes UK Call for EU to Raise Climate Ambition in Line with Paris Agreement

Christian Aid has today welcomed the call by the UK and ten other countries for the European Union to ramp up its climate targets for 2030.

Dr Alison Doig, Christian Aid’s Principal Climate Change Advisor, said: “The UK Government is right to urge the EU to strengthen its carbon reduction targets following the historic Paris Agreement.

“They have sent a resounding message to the European Commission that the Paris deal must be a springboard for greater action, and that the EU must stop dragging its feet while other countries around the world charge ahead with ambitious carbon plans.   Sensible voices like that of the UK are needed to ensure the EU retains its leadership credentials on climate change.

“From Fiji and Ethiopia, the poorest people in the world are struggling against extreme weather that devastates their communities. In the face of such suffering, EU leaders must get down to serious discussion of how they can move faster towards a climate-safe, low carbon future.

The call for more ambition came from the UK as well as Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.