An EU Law Perspective on the Paris Agreement: Will the EU Consider Strengthening Its Mitigation Effort?

Draft 15 March 2016. Climate Law 6 (2016) 182-195

13 Pages Posted: 12 Mar 2018

See all articles by Marjan Peeters

Marjan Peeters

Maastricht University - METRO Institute

Date Written: 2016

Abstract

The European Union is the only party to the UNFCCC that is a regional organization. The European Union’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, submitted on behalf of itself and its member states, contains a pledge to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, in pursuit of the general objective to keep the global average temperature increase below 2°C. Given, however, that the Paris Agreement aims not only to hold the increase ‘well below’ 2°C, but also to ‘pursue efforts’ to limit the increase to 1.5°C, one wonders whether the outcome of COP 21 may lead the European Union to a reconsideration—with possibly a strengthening—of the mitigation effort proposed in its INDC.

Keywords: Paris Agreement; European Union climate law; joint mitigation effort; (Intended) National Determined Contributions

JEL Classification: K30, K32, K39

Suggested Citation

Peeters, Marjan, An EU Law Perspective on the Paris Agreement: Will the EU Consider Strengthening Its Mitigation Effort? (2016). Draft 15 March 2016. Climate Law 6 (2016) 182-195, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3135784 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3135784

Marjan Peeters (Contact Author)

Maastricht University - METRO Institute ( email )

PO Box 616
Maastricht, 6200 MD
Netherlands

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