As Foreign Secretary David Miliband toured Europe urging the need to reach a deal at make-or-break talks in Copenhagen in December, the Commission warned that time is running out to commit funding.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested last June that developed countries would need to pay a total of about £60 billion each year to developing countries to help them play their part in any international climate change deal reached in Copenhagen.
The fear is that, without such an advance commitment from wealthy nations, winning a deal at the United Nations-lead Copenhagen conference will be impossible.
Today’s Commission blueprint is an effort to get EU leaders to establish the EU’s financing arrangements as soon as possible.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “With less than 90 days before Copenhagen we need to make serious progress in these negotiations.
“That is why the Commission is putting the first meaningful proposal on the table on how we might finance the battle against climate change. The sums involved are potentially significant, both ambitious and fair.”
The Commission’s report, which must now be considered by EU environment ministers, says that by 2020, developing countries are likely to face annual costs of around 100 billion euros (£87 billion) to curb their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change in line with any global deal reached in Copenhagen.
The document says: “Much of the finance needed will have to come from domestic sources and an expanded international carbon market, but international public financing of some 22-50 billion euros a year (£19-£43.5 billion) is also likely to be necessary.
“The Commission proposes that industrialised nations and economically more advanced developing countries should provide this public financing in line with their responsibility for emissions and ability to pay.
“This could mean an EU contribution of some 2-15 billion euros a year (£1.7-£13 billion) by 2020, assuming an ambitious agreement is reached in Copenhagen.”
The aim of a climate change deal will be to prevent global warming reaching the dangerous levels - more than two degrees centigrade above the world’s “pre-industrial” temperature - predicted by scientists if nothing is done.
On his European diplomatic push Mr Miliband is warning that failure in Copenhagen could mean global temperature rises of four degrees centigrade.
The Commission’s paper says that, assuming a “satisfactory” Copenhagen deal, a fast start must be made on international public funding for developing countries - and the EU should even think about exceeding the annual assistance of up to £1.8 billion a year the Commission believes will have to be offered initially in 2010- 2012.
The scale of the UK Government’s own financial contribution to developing countries for climate change has not been revealed, but a spokesman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change commented: “If the world is serious about reaching an ambitious deal at Copenhagen then there needs to be a serious discussion on financing.
“But with less than 90 days to go the clock is ticking. We welcome the Commission’s constructive contribution on how the world puts in place the finance that’s needed to tackle climate change. The Prime Minister has already set out the UK’s views and we stand firm to the commitment to contribute our fair share.”
Development agency Oxfam International said the Commission’s plan risked diverting EU money promised for education and health in poor countries.
Elise Ford, head of Oxfam International’s EU office, said: “We welcome the Commission’s intentions to break the deadlock in global climate talks.
“However, the Commission proposes that rich countries take money from existing promises to increase overseas aid spending to 0.7% of national incomes. This would rob tomorrow’s hospitals and schools in developing countries to pay for them to tackle climate change today. Funds to help developing countries to tackle climate change must be additional to aid - not instead of it.”
Jason Anderson, head of European climate policy for environment campaigners WWF commented: “While we welcome the fact that the EU has presented concrete numbers, the amounts are totally insufficient. WWF will expect much bolder European leadership if it plans to reach a deal in Copenhagen.”
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