The decision by the Conference of Presidents - consisting of the Parliament's president and the chairmen of the political groups - was not unanimous. The EPP-ED (centre-right), PES (socialist), GUE and UEN (communist) were in favour, ITS (far- right/nationalist) against and ALDE (liberals), Greens and IND/DEM (Eurosceptic) abstained.
The initiative still needs to be formally confirmed by Parliament as soon as the Committee's mandate is defined.
The term of office for the Committee will be 12 months, when it may be extended with Parliament's approval. In addition, temporary committees typically have no legislative power and since their powers are decided as they are set up, Parliament cannot increase nor reduce the scope of those powers.
EPP-ED Group Chairman Joseph Daul said: "At their summit last weekend on 8-9 March, the heads of state and government called for a clear and precise response to climate change from the European Union and its member states. Parliament must now play its role and the creation of a temporary committee is an essential part of our response to this challenge."
The move echoed that of the Democrat-controlled US Congress, which on 8 March 2007 created a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. The decision was passed by a vote of 269-150, although a majority of Republicans voted against. The Committee, like that of the European Parliament, will have no right to legislate but will hold hearings and recommend legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: "For America to be safe and strong, we must take further decisive action now to free our country of its dependence on foreign energy sources and to confront the rising tide of global warming."
However, Joe Barton, a representative from Texas and the top Republican on the Energy Committee, said in a statement that the Committee's only purpose was: "serving as a platform for some members to grandstand and play to the constituencies that are so insistent that we destroy our economy in the name of political correctness".
The US committee will have a two-year budget of $3.7 million, while the budget of the European Parliament's Committee has yet to be confirmed.