Changes from resolution motion to adopted text

57. Highlights the need to increase investment and to invest more efficiently in innovative and nature-based solutions, such as afforestation, reforestation and natural sponge landscapes, wetland restoration and regenerative agricultural practices, in order to strengthen climate adaption, particularly to limit floods and droughts; emphasises that such approaches should have a positive impact on biodiversity where possible, and should reduce carbon emissions from soils and off-site effects on water bodies, reduce soil compaction and facilitate the adaptation of forests to climate change; takes note of the role of the Commission’s proposals on forest governance and forest monitoring in this regard; expresses concern about the significant gap between the 2030 carbon sink enhancement target set by the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation and the measures to deliver on the targets included in national energy and climate plans; urges Member States to increase their ambitions;

58. Recognises that healthy ecosystems and rich biodiversity provide life-critical services, and highlights the fact that climate change is one of the direct drivers of biodiversity loss; points to how climate change has already altered terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems all around the world, causing species losses and declines in key ecosystem services;

59. Underlines that a wide range of mitigation and adaptation benefits are offered by the conservation and restoration of high-carbon ecosystems such as peatlands, wetlands, forests (including primary forests), traditional agroforestry systems, rangelands and blue carbon ecosystems such as salt marshes, seagrasses and mangroves, as well as the species that enable these ecosystems to function; calls on the Commission to develop the mapping of these ecosystems and to develop methodologies for the accurate, robust and transparent accounting of carbon removals and emissions from those ecosystems in a manner that does not undermine biodiversity objectives, and underlines that the quality of protected areas should be respected; warns that contradictory investments and incentives, such as financing the drainage of wetlands yet subsequently funding the restoration of the same areas, undermine the effectiveness of EU financial resources and create uncertainty for farmers and the agricultural sector;

60. Urges all parties, when taking action to address climate change, to commit to protecting, respecting, promoting and fulfilling their obligations on human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and the rights of indigenous peoples as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the rights of local communities; stresses the need to support and protect environmental defenders and to hold accountable those who threaten them; emphasises the importance of gender equality and intergenerational fairness in addressing the climate crisis; calls on all parties to uphold these values and ensure meaningful public participation, access to information, and free, prior and informed consent;

61. Calls on all parties to make progress at COP29 towards decision-making that strikes a balance between the social, environmental and economic pillars;

62. Stresses the importance of implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the need to maximise the ability of nature to help mitigate and adapt to climate change and to minimise the negative impacts of climate action on biodiversity; recalls that conserving highly biodiverse, intact ecosystems on land and in the ocean is the most cost-effective nature-based action to tackle climate change; calls on all parties to step up their efforts to meet their international obligations on biodiversity, recalling the failure to achieve the Aichi targets; welcomes the submission of EU targets under this Framework;

63. Emphasises that soil is the largest terrestrial carbon sink, playing an indispensable role in the global climate cycle; underlines the transboundary impacts of soil degradation; welcomes all efforts by governments and non-governmental actors to maximise the potential of soils to mitigate climate change and to improve water availability; takes note of the role of the EU proposal on the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive;

64. Highlights the devastating environmental, social, economic and agricultural impacts of desertification, water pollution droughts, floods and forest fires intensified by climate change; emphasises the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring water and water-related ecosystems as vital components of climate resilience and biodiversity conservation; affirms the need for water management that avoids water scarcity and pollution, where water and resource loops are largely closed to foster a circular economy and optimal resource efficiency and recovery;

65. Welcomes the spotlight placed on water-related challenges by the COP29 presidency, providing a global platform during COP29 for parties to collaborate and deliver solutions on water; welcomes the launch of the first UN system-wide strategy on water and sanitation as a key tool to foster community resilience to climate change;

67. Welcomes the announcement of a European water resilience strategy and calls on the Commission to swiftly deliver this strategy to ensure sources are properly managed and scarcity is addressed, and also to ensure that we enhance the competitive innovative edge of our water industry and technology; urges the EU to lead efforts to protect and restore water ecosystems, in line with the Water Framework Directive, the EU biodiversity strategy, and the European Green Deal;

68. Acknowledges the universality of water as a resource for all sectors, including those responsible for energy, food security and critical digital services; recognises the role of digital tools in all climate-mitigating activity, as a part of a water-resilient society;

69. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure effective water infrastructure, as a tool to combat climate change and enhance resilience;

70. Welcomes the adoption of the UN High Seas Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement); calls on the parties to continue work on the UN Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue; stresses that climate mechanisms depend on the health of the ocean and marine ecosystems currently affected by global warming, pollution, overexploitation of marine biodiversity, acidification, deoxygenation and coastal erosion; calls on all parties to enhance the resilience and protection of oceanic carbon sinks, including the safeguarding of marine ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs; welcomes European Commission President von der Leyen’s commitment to the launch of a European oceans pact;

71. Stresses that all sectors must contribute to the reduction of emissions;

72. Stresses the urgent need to combat plastic pollution globally, as it poses a severe threat to marine ecosystems, biodiversity and human health, and an estimated 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year; stresses the importance of tackling microplastics, especially in ocean and freshwater ecosystems; welcomes the ongoing work on the global plastics treaty; urges the EU to lead in advocating for a treaty that achieves sustainable levels of plastic production, phases out harmful single-use plastics, fosters innovation in sustainable alternatives and promotes circular economy principles, as well as promoting extended producer responsibility, to ensure that the full life cycle of plastics is addressed, and prioritising the communities most affected by plastic pollution; calls for a global goal to eliminate plastic pollution in the environment by 2040;

73. Stresses the need to combat chemical pollution; calls for accelerated action to achieve the comprehensive plan set out in the Global Framework on Chemicals towards ‘a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste’;

74. Stresses the need to protect the health and well-being of people and communities affected by the adverse impacts of climate change; stresses the need to ensure equitable access to a sustainable, resilient and healthy environment for future generations;

75. Believes that environmental policies should be designed in full alignment with the One Health approach; recalls the importance of featuring a Health Day during COP29 to work towards solutions for common health challenges;

76. Stresses the close link between air pollution and climate change; welcomes international efforts to address both climate change and air quality through initiatives like the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition; calls on all parties to enhance cooperation on this matter and align air quality policies with climate action to protect public health and the environment globally;

77. Stresses that climate change will contribute to increased antibiotic resistance; in this regard, stresses the need for urgent action against antimicrobial resistance and calls for a global agreement by the parties to reduce the use of antimicrobials and combat the risk of resistance;

78. Recalls that, globally, cities are responsible for 70 % of global CO2 emissions; stresses that local and regional governments are key actors in climate action; stresses, therefore, the need to facilitate their access to financial mechanisms and the need for enhanced cooperation with local and regional governments in the process of preparing, financing, and implementing NDCs ahead of COP30, as well as national adaptation plans, national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and long-term strategies;

Efforts across all sectors

79. Welcomes the fact that 158 countries have become signatories to the Global Methane Pledge to date; calls on the signatories to the Global Methane Pledge to accelerate action to reduce and abate methane emissions by 2030 and to enhance governance on methane by drawing up an overarching framework aimed at making progress towards the collective commitment; urges, in particular, the large methane-emitting Parties that have not joined the pledge to do so as soon as possible; calls for a quantified, science-based assessment of the progress made since the pledge’s adoption at COP26;

80. Calls on all Parties to also include specific methane reduction targets in their NDCs;

81. Recalls the EU regulation on methane emissions reduction in the energy sector, which, from 1 January 2027, will also apply to EU importers of crude oil, natural gas and coal; stresses the need to reduce methane emissions in all sectors in the EU;

82. Highlights the fact that the transport sector is the only sector in which emissions have risen at EU level since 1990, and that this is not compatible with the EU’s climate goals; stresses that achieving the EU’s climate goals will require greater and faster emissions reductions from all transport subsectors, including the aviation and maritime subsectors; welcomes the inclusion of maritime emissions in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS); stresses the importance of supporting the modal shift and intermodal transport and making clean transport options more attractive through improved internalisation of externalities, while ensuring the availability of adequate alternatives, taking demand management measures and laying down requirements regarding efficiency and circularity;

83. Calls on the Commission to ensure the social fairness of transport decarbonisation measures, including by incorporating emissions from superyachts, private jets and business planes into EU climate policies;

84. Calls on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt measures to reduce maritime emissions in line with the science-based targets and the 1.5 °C limit set by the Paris Agreement; is concerned at the slow progress made by the IMO in addressing emissions from international shipping; calls for the EU to advocate for the adoption of stricter global targets and timelines; recalls that, in line with the provisions of the ETS Directive, the EU should revise the scope of EU ETS maritime legislation if IMO negotiations fail to achieve action in line with the Paris Agreement; calls on the Commission and the Member States to restart UNFCCC negotiations on attributing international shipping emissions to national inventories, mirroring the scope of the EU ETS and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation;

85. Stresses the urgent need for the aviation sector to align with global climate goals, particularly the 1.5 °C target set by the Paris Agreement; is concerned at the slow progress achieved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in addressing emissions from international aviation; calls on the ICAO to adopt more ambitious measures, under its Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, to reduce these emissions; recalls that if the ICAO does not deliver emissions reductions in line with the Paris Agreement, the Commission has an obligation to examine expanding the scope of the EU ETS to flights to aerodromes located outside the European Economic Area, in line with the provisions of the ETS Directive;

86. Recalls that the non-CO2 climate impact of aviation activities is estimated to be twice as high as the impact of CO2 alone; highlights the importance of gathering knowledge on the non-CO2 impact of both intra-EU flights and flights from and to non-EU destinations, and of assessing the need for measures to reduce this impact in accordance with the rules and timelines established in the EU ETS;

87. Calls for the accelerated development and deployment of sustainable fuels in in the aviation and maritime sectors;

88. Reiterates its call on all Parties, including the EU Member States, to take measures to discourage the use of private jets; highlights the disproportionate climate impact of private jets, which are up to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights; underlines the importance of leading by example and urges all participants attending COP29, including those from the EU institutions, to refrain from using private jets and to choose the least polluting transport option possible to reach their destination;

89. Notes that the agricultural sector accounted for 10-12 % of global anthropogenic emissions and 11 % of total EU emissions in 2020; notes that agricultural emissions at EU level have decreased by 25 % since 1990, but have remained relatively stable over the last two decades;

92. Stresses the need for policy frameworks that support farmers, with a particular focus on small-scale farmers, in the transition to sustainable agricultural practices by providing tools, mechanisms, techniques, opportunities, training and financial incentives for the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices that improve productivity while contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and that reward farmers and foresters who help to decarbonise the economy and work with nature, preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems; underlines the importance of providing the agricultural sector with comprehensive methodologies to establish a GHG emission accounting system that would cover different types of agriculture; calls for the EU to increase investment in green technologies and innovations in the agricultural sector, such as precision agriculture, sustainable irrigation systems, climate-smart agricultural practices and agro-ecological practices that enable the more efficient use of resources such as water and energy; underlines, furthermore, the importance of policies that facilitate access to such innovative solutions and digital tools; emphasises the importance of developing more sustainable agriculture by providing farmers with alternatives in order to reduce the use and corresponding production of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides; notes that this, together with an increase in natural carbon sequestration in soils and soil organic matter, can offer multiple benefits by increasing soil fertility, restoring biodiversity and providing substantial mitigation potential; stresses the need to better target resilience by supporting the management of the risk of prolonged droughts, promoting crops that are less water-intensive, and fostering sustainable practices that enhance ecosystem resilience;

93. Calls on all Parties to continue working towards the implementation of the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action;

94. Stresses the importance of ensuring a global level playing field for agricultural production that is based on high standards for environmental protection, animal welfare and compliance monitoring;

95. Stresses that the defence sector must contribute to the reduction of emissions while maintaining operational effectiveness, and that the development of decarbonisation technologies and strategies in the defence sector should be accelerated; notes that the inclusion of disaggregated military emissions in UNFCCC submissions is voluntary, and that it is not currently possible to identify reported military GHG emissions from the submitted UNFCCC data; calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission and the Council to formulate a proposal for the transparent accounting of military emissions to the UNFCCC that acknowledges the adoption of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence, and in order to fully implement the Climate Change and Defence Roadmap;

96. Highlights the fact that the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is an essential tool for effectively pricing emissions from products imported into the EU, reducing the emissions from these products and addressing carbon leakage while supporting the adoption of carbon pricing worldwide with accompanying measures for industrial decarbonisation in least developed countries; calls on the Commission to work on expanding the scope of CBAM in line with the provisions of the CBAM Regulation, while engaging with non-EU countries to facilitate the correct implementation of the mechanism and encourage the introduction of carbon pricing;

97. Welcomes the fact that according to the World Bank, 24 % of global emissions are now covered by carbon pricing; regrets, nevertheless, that both the coverage and the pricing levels remain far too low to meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement; welcomes the fact that several EU trading partners have introduced carbon trading or other carbon pricing mechanisms; invites the Commission to further encourage and support other Parties in introducing or improving similar carbon pricing mechanisms, and to explore links and other forms of cooperation with existing carbon pricing mechanisms outside the EU; calls on the Commission, in this regard, to put in place safeguards to ensure that any links with the EU ETS will continue to deliver additional and permanent mitigation contributions and will not undermine the EU’s domestic GHG emissions commitments; welcomes the creation of the Commission Task Force for International Carbon Pricing and Markets Diplomacy and calls on the Commission to ensure that this task force is fully operational in a timely manner;

99. Stresses the need to address the climate and environmental impact of the textile sector, which is responsible for around 8-10 % of global GHG emissions and substantial consumption of resources, particularly water and energy; recognises that the textile industry needs to play an important role in the shift to a circular economy and tackle challenges related to issues including waste prevention, waste management, microplastic shedding, water usage, overproduction, the overall durability and non-toxicity of the production process and the recyclability of textile products, including by ensuring that textiles are designed to be long-lasting and recyclable; stresses that it is imperative to work towards establishing global standards for when brands can make green claims about a product;

100. Stresses the need to fight greenwashing by working towards establishing consistent and transparent global standards for green claims to help consumers make informed choices and prevent greenwashing by ensuring that sustainability claims are backed by verifiable evidence;

101. Stresses that climate change, water scarcity and environmental degradation lead to scarcity of natural resources, can exacerbate conflicts and tensions, as well as food shortages and natural catastrophes, and are major drivers of human displacement and threat multipliers;

102. Notes that the Mediterranean is one of the regions most affected by climate change, warming 20 % faster than the global average, with projections suggesting that 250 million people will face water scarcity within 20 years and experience increasingly frequent forest fires, with severe consequences for the livelihoods of coastal communities, economic sectors and biodiversity; calls on the Commission and the Member States to act urgently, cooperating with Mediterranean partners to implement ambitious adaptation measures and lead mitigation action, focusing on water management, ecosystem restoration and sustainable economic transitions;

103. Highlights that climate change has been affecting cultural heritage at an unprecedented speed and scale; stresses the need to strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage, with a focus on enhancing risk preparedness and on strengthening resilience to climate change;

104. Stresses the need to step up EU action on climate adaptation, resilience and preparedness by strengthening the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in order to enhance the EU’s capacity to prevent and manage increasingly frequent large-scale and cross-border natural disasters;

105. Notes that there is growing scientific and political interest in solar radiation modification (SRM), a proposed set of climate engineering approaches, such as stratospheric aerosol injection, to artificially reflect sunlight and cool the planet; stresses that SRM does nothing to address the root cause of climate change, that there is no scientific certainty regarding its effects and that it endangers climactic and geopolitical stability, potentially in a catastrophic fashion; recalls that a UN resolution on global governance has been blocked; calls on the Commission to take action on SRM by initiating a non-use agreement to stop its deployment, restrict its development and object to the future institutionalisation of SRM in international institutions, in line with the precautionary principle and in the absence of evidence of its safety and a full global consensus on its acceptability;

Climate change and gender

106. Underscores the importance of inclusive approaches in the UNFCCC process, including the Just Transition Work Programme; calls for all Parties, including the EU and its Member States, to increase efforts to integrate gender equality into their revised NDCs and national adaptation plans and into their climate and environmental policies, in particular those related to mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage; emphasises the need for more concrete actions by all Parties to deliver on the commitments of the Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25, and to agree on a new Gender Work Programme and associated Action Plan for the post-2024 period; urges the Member States and the Commission to increase efforts to achieve the goals set out in the EU Gender Action Plan III;

107. Considers that women’s access to inclusive climate finance must be increased and facilitated, noting that women receive disproportionately less access to financial resources for climate adaptation and mitigation projects; urges the EU and the Member States to report on the gender responsiveness of their climate finance contributions and to enhance coherence between gender and climate support through external action instruments and the EIB;

108. Highlights the importance of increasing women’s participation in decision-making in the climate diplomacy context, including in COP delegations and in leadership at all levels of climate action; calls on all Parties to aim for gender parity in their delegations and at all levels of climate change decision-making and negotiations; urges all Parties to nominate a national gender and climate change focal point and to increase the associated resources, training and support, including within the EU;

109. Stresses that adaptive capacity and vulnerability differ across gender, age, ability, racial and occupational lines; calls, therefore, on all Parties to assess, respond to and prioritise the needs of vulnerable populations in their national adaptation plans, adaptation communications and NDCs;

110. Stresses the need to accelerate action for gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and, therefore, for gender-responsive implementation of the Sendai Framework; calls for further efforts to be made to prioritise and account for gender in disaster preparedness, particularly through the use of disaggregated disaster risk reduction data sets;

Industry, small and medium-sized enterprises and competitiveness

111. Considers COP29 an important step since the signature of the Paris Agreement in 2015; highlights that efforts to combat climate change should aim to reduce energy poverty, increase the resilience and competitiveness of EU industry and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and provide opportunities for EU industry and SMEs that can be materialised if legislators commit to timely, tailor-made, solidarity-based and adequate policy responses and to a stable and predictable transition framework; calls on all Parties to the UNFCCC to commit and implement these adequate policies and measures;

112. Stresses that well-designed enabling policies can ensure that climate action, innovation, decarbonisation, job creation and competitiveness all go hand in hand; recalls that by investing in innovative, sustainable industries and technologies, in line with the clean and just transition, our climate, economy, quality employment and social well-being will all prosper;

113. Deems it of the utmost importance for the EU to ensure a just, swift and fair transition to maintain public support for climate action and to lead by example, and to ensure a first-mover advantage while shielding the internal market from unfair competition from non-EU countries and safeguarding a level playing field for European industries at international level – notably by addressing high energy prices currently hampering their competitiveness;