The European food and drink industry, represented by FoodDrinkEurope, calls upon governments gathered at the UNFCCC COP 17 Conference in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 10 December 2011, to undertake all efforts to enable a global comprehensive legally binding framework post 2012.

An ambitious agreement is needed to adequately address the dual global challenge of food security and climate change. FoodDrinkEurope firmly believes that Durban needs to achieve a meaningful outcome in order to restore confidence in the climate change mitigation and adaptation process. FoodDrinkEurope supports the EU road map for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 as a means to set the long term path for achieving further emission reductions.

Food and Drink manufacturers are committed to contributing fully to the policy objectives in the field of climate change and are undertaking a wide range of activities and investments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, as well as to consider adaptation measures. FoodDrinkEurope wishes to make the following contribution to the current policy elaborations at both EU and global level.

Key messages:

• FoodDrinkEurope calls for the development of a roadmap and timeline for a comprehensive legally binding framework with global participation at the COP17 in Durban.

• An increase in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitment beyond 20% by 2020 should be taken if other developed nations agree to take the same action and if developing countries agree to accept similar measures based on their respective capabilities.
 

• FoodDrinkEurope supports long term emission reduction targets based on impact assessments leading up to a low carbon economy by 2050.
 

• Energy efficiency should be seen an important driver for both climate change mitigation and competitiveness. Promotion of energy efficient technologies, such as Combined Heat and Power, is needed.
 

• Resource efficiency plays a key role in tackling climate change. Food and drink manufacturers are increasingly acting as bio-refineries often contributing to renewable energy production.

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