ENVI II

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY

Submitted by: Ioanna Christodoulides (CY), Aiantas Christofidis (CY), Ruddy (Nicole) Alocha Ebua (CY), Christos Pieri (CY), Ioannis Skordis (CY), Christia Spyrou (CY), Aliosha Bielenberg (Chairperson)

A. Noting with regret that the European Emissions Trading System 1 is used by over 11,000 manufacturing and power plants in Europe yet does not include crucial sectors such as transport and manufacturing,

B. Concerned that pesticides can cause acute as well as chronic health effects ranging from rashes to skin cancer,

C. Further noting that pesticides include harmful chemicals such as 2,4- Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid, Atrazine, and Chlordane whose use leads to soil pollution and potentially food poisoning,

D.

E. Taking into consideration that in 2017 transport was responsible for 27% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, Recognizing that the extinction of pollinators 2 could lead to a reduction in the population of plants even if soil, air, nutrients, and other life-sustaining elements remained available,

1 The European ETS is “a cornerstone of the EU's policy to combat climate change and its key tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively. It is the world's first major carbon market and remains the biggest one.” 2 A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower.

F. Deeply concerned that countries that heavily rely on coal and steel such as Poland 3

resist

G. H. I. 1. 2. 3. the European Green Deal for fear of putting jobs at risk, Keeping in mind that coal is globally responsible for over 800 000 premature deaths per

year, Alarmed by the many negative consequences of fertilizer use on wildlife, air pollution, and

soil acidification, Disturbed by the fact that approximately 88 million tonnes of food are wasted in the

European Union each year which is the equivalent of 173 kilos per person; Asks the European Commission to decrease carbon emissions produced by firms and further the intent of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) 4 by: a. raising the carbon price and increasing the carbon emission reduction rate to over 50% by 2030, b. providing subsidies to firms that promote the use of clean, reliable, and affordable energy, c. implementing the EU ETS in buildings as well as transport sectors with a view

to have climate neutral transport by 2025; Directs the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission to promote organic agriculture until 2030 by: a. placing a legal cap on pesticides and fertilizers so as to reduce their use by 50%, b. incentivizing farmers to switch to sustainable farming by providing tax

exemptions or subsidies; Requests the European Commission to improve the energy efficiency of buildings by: a. funding research and development programs for ‘green’ buildings and infrastructure, b. providing subsidies to construction projects that use energy-efficient methods,

3 Poland produces 49.2%of its electricity from coal, employing 41 thousand people. 4 The aim of the EUEmissions Trading System (EU ETS) is to help EU Member States achieve their commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective way.

4. 5. 6. 7.

c. promoting builders to construct buildings up to the EU eco-friendly standards, d. making the use of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) 5 mandatory in all EU Member States; Recommends that the European Commission reinforces the Just Transition Mechanism(JMT) 6 to ensure that the transition to a carbon neutral EU is made possible for all carbon and coal intensive regions by: a. offering new employment opportunities to workers that have become unemployed due to the redundancy of their skills in fossil fuel power plants, b. providing a skill acquisition process to train said workers for a potential new

job; Invites the EU and its Member States to coordinate and monitor their environmental policies so that the share of renewable energy is increased from 18% to 33% until 2030 by: a. accepting the guidance of the European Environment Agency 7 on policy making, b. supporting the 2021–2030 European Information and Observation Network

(Eionet) strategy; 8 Further urges the European Commission to fund the development and further use of alternative energy 9 resources and climate-friendly production methods through: a. subsidising the research and innovation of green technology in manufacturing, 10 b. incentivising the construction of nuclear power stations as a substitute for the

creation of further fossil fuel plants; Encourages Member States to: a. fund projects around composting and bins in households, b. support the EU platform for food losses and waste prevention by targeting the housing, food service, and retail sectors;

5 Energy performance certificates(EPCs) are a ratingscheme to summarise the energy efficiencyof buildings in the European Union. 6 The Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) is part of the European Green Deal effort to create a climateneutral economy in Europe by 2050. The Mechanism will seek to overcome the economic and social costs of the climate transition in the most vulnerable coal and carbon-intensive regions 7 The European Environment Agency (EEA) serves as a crossroad between regulators, policymakers, and the general public. 8 The Eioet strategy shares expertise about sustainable technologies. 9 Alternative energy is any energy source that does not use fossil fuels. 10 Technology whose use is intended to mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment.

8. 9.

Urges the European Commission to decrease the carbon footprint of the transportation sector by: a. deploying alternative energy sources for transport including but not limited to biofuels, hydrogen, electricity, and synthetic fuels, b. funding public support projects promoting electric vehicles, c. providing incentives to electric car owners including but not limited to free vehicle charging,

d. investing in research and development towards electrification; 11 Appeals to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to guide the expansion of the EU’s Energy Union by incorporating a variety of strategic partners, including Ukraine, 12 Turkey, 13 Russia, 14 and India; 15

10. Calls upon the European Commission to promote the use of hydrogen fuel throughout

Member States by: a. establishing a hydrogen market in cooperation with neighbouring countries, b. forming an organisation of specialists responsible for monitoring the use of hydrogen, c. subsidising research and development in hydrogen-powered vehicles such as cars and trams.

11 Electrification is the conversion of a machine or system to the use of electrical power. 12 Ukraine is a conventional transit and future energy power surrounding the production, transport and storage of clean gases in relation to energy efficiency. 13 Turkey demonstrates shared cooperation with the EU surrounding matters such as energy efficiencyas well as renewable energy sources. 14 Russia is a standard-setter in the Eurasian Economic Union, which would be heavily affected by the EU’s decarbonization and economically supported by the use of renewables and energy efficiency. 15 India is the third-biggest emitter of CO2 and plans to increase the share of its renewable energy sources to 40 percent, in light of the growing energy demand.