From: Cool Earth
The European Union is sending a "forceful and clear" signal to other nations to make it clear that it is prepared to lead in the fight against climate change and help countries reach a global agreement on action at the Copenhagen climate conference, Sweden has said.
Sweden currently holds the presidency of the European Union and made the comments after EU environment ministers met to reach an agreement on Council Conclusions to do with climate change, before the conference in Denmark in December.
Among the issues discussed was the need for clarification of the EU's stance on how to stop deforestation and put methods in place to make forestry sustainable.
"The EU now has a full mandate to play a proactive role in the negotiations. All the countries' ministers have contributed constructively to reach consensus," said Swedish minister for the environment Andreas Carlgren.
At the Copenhagen climate change conference, world leaders are due to come up with a global environmental strategy to replace the existing Kyoto agreement.