Climate change is an extreme global injustice; those who are least responsible for its cause—the poorest people, communities and countries—are the most burdened by its impact. Recognizing the substantial link between climate change and sustainable development, it is clear that climate change, poverty and inequality need to be tackled together.
2015 is a crucial year for climate action and sustainable development. Governments will seek to agree three major international policy frameworks with long-term implications: a post-2015 Sustainable Development framework, a UN climate change agreement, and a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. The EU is a major player in all of the 2015 global debates: as cooperating partner for developing countries, as contributor of finance to development and climate action, and as one of the greatest economies and country coalitions on this planet with a substantial carbon and ecological footprint.