EU failures to mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change risk further damage to the credibility of the organisation, London’s Green Euro-MP has warned.

Speaking after a debate on the EU negotiating position at upcoming UN-sponsored climate talks in Doha, Qatar, Jean Lambert said the EU must demand a tough new target on limiting global warming, keep the aviation industry in its Emissions Trading Scheme, and maintain funding for all its climate initiatives.

She said: “The EU is coming in for a bit of a battering at the moment.

“But we must remember that most of the legislation on enhancing our environment originates in EU law.

“The EU has shown real leadership on tackling climate change in the past – but unless it ups its game it risks throwing away much of its credibility, as well as undermining UN efforts to protect the poorest from the most devastating impacts of climate change.”

Greens in the European Parliament, which agreed its position ahead of the COP18 talks in Doha, are calling for unconditional adoption of a 30% target for the reduction of CO2 emissions, the scrapping of those emission allowances that have already been met (so-called ‘surplus allowances’), the immediate inclusion of aviation in the Emissions Trading Scheme – and the scheme’s extension to cover other greenhouse gases such as HFCs and methane.

Ms Lambert added: “If we are going to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, and protect the most vulnerable from the effects we are already seeing, we need to be bold, and give momentum to these latest global talks. The Green proposals would do exactly that.”