Swedish prime minister urges US and others to follow EU lead on climate change

Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt today urged the United States and other developed countries to follow the European Union's lead and make concrete emissions cuts to address climate change. "With just over a month left until the climate summit in Copenhagen, the EU is more united than ever," Reinfeldt wrote in an op-ed piece in Sweden's largest newspaper, Dagens Nyheter. "But efforts by the EU are not enough. We can only reach an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen if all parties contribute to the process. Therefore, other developed countries must display the same leadership by committing to similarly ambitious emissions reductions, presenting proposals for financing, and intensifying their efforts. Developing countries, particularly the more advanced ones, must also present clear commitments that reflect their responsibilities and capabilities."

Concrete commitments to emissions reductions are essential to meeting the United Nations goal of halting global warming at no more than two degrees Celsius, Reinfeldt wrote. As part of these efforts, global emissions must be reduced by 50 percent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. "We know that the developed countries must take the lead and reduce their emissions," Reinfeldt emphasized. At a summit last week the EU set its own long-term goal of reducing emissions by 80 to 95 percent by 2050.

Sweden holds the presidency of the European Union until the end of the year. Reinfeldt met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House yesterday in advance of the first formal summit between the Obama administration and the European Union, which began today.

"My message to President Obama and Congress is that now we must put climate in focus, with the two-degree goal as our guideline," Reinfeldt wrote in his Dagens Nyheter piece. "We are in agreement as to what needs to be done in the long term, but in order to succeed we also need to have an aggressive goal in the medium term....The mid-range goals can for the most part be reached through energy savings and improved efficiency. The sooner we refocus on a green economy, the lower the costs will be."

Reinfeldt plans to convey a similar message in high-level meetings in India later this week and China at the end of the month.

For more on Reinfeldt's Monday meeting with Obama, see Climate talks top EU-US summit in Washington

Swedish speakers can click here to read Reinfeldt's complete op-ed piece