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EU agrees on tougher climate goals for 2030
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU will cut carbon emissions to 55% of 1990 levels within a decade.
The agreement to cut emissions followed all-night talks at the EU summit
EU leaders agreed on Friday to set an ambitious target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030.
The deal came after more than 10 hours of negotiations late Thursday into Friday morning. The increase from an earlier reduction target of 40% was proposed by the European Commission in September, but was met with resistance in some EU states.
EU greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 24% between 1990 and 2019, according to the Commission. The economy, meanwhile, grew around 60% during the same period.
The new plan will require major overhauls of the energy and transport sectors as well as a huge push to renovate and retrofit buildings to make them energy-efficient and able to charge electric vehicles.
Massive investments will be needed to help those countries with a higher reliance on fossil fuel to manage the transition, EU officials have said.
Announcing the plan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She said it "puts us on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050."
"Great way to celebrate the first anniversary of our #EUGreenDeal!" she tweeted.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the deal was a "very, very important result." She added, "It was worth staying up all night for that."
In a separate statement, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the Berlin government had "worked hard over the past few months" to try to seal the deal.
Coal-heavy countries opposed the plan
Poland, backed by other coal-dependent central European countries, had been holding out for guarantees on funding to pay for a clean energy transition. Those states said it was unfair that all member states should commit to the same goal without considering their respective energy dependencies.
To win their approval, member states agreed that the new target should be delivered collectively.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country had achieved its goals, securing additional cash from the EU modernization fund.
The European Parliament, which itself is pushing for a slightly higher target, still has to approve the Commission's new emissions goal.
Both targets, however, are lower than those proposed by the UK, which is set to leave the EU's single market and customs union at the end of the month and has vowed that environmental standards will not suffer as a result.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that he wants the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030.
World leaders agreed five years ago in Paris to keep the global warming increase to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. Under the Paris climate agreement, countries are required to submit updated climate targets by the end of this year.
EU agrees on tougher climate goals for 2030
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU will cut carbon emissions to 55% of 1990 levels within a decade.
The agreement to cut emissions followed all-night talks at the EU summit
EU leaders agreed on Friday to set an ambitious target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030.
The deal came after more than 10 hours of negotiations late Thursday into Friday morning. The increase from an earlier reduction target of 40% was proposed by the European Commission in September, but was met with resistance in some EU states.
EU greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 24% between 1990 and 2019, according to the Commission. The economy, meanwhile, grew around 60% during the same period.
The new plan will require major overhauls of the energy and transport sectors as well as a huge push to renovate and retrofit buildings to make them energy-efficient and able to charge electric vehicles.
Massive investments will be needed to help those countries with a higher reliance on fossil fuel to manage the transition, EU officials have said.
Announcing the plan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She said it "puts us on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050."
"Great way to celebrate the first anniversary of our #EUGreenDeal!" she tweeted.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the deal was a "very, very important result." She added, "It was worth staying up all night for that."
In a separate statement, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the Berlin government had "worked hard over the past few months" to try to seal the deal.
Coal-heavy countries opposed the plan
Poland, backed by other coal-dependent central European countries, had been holding out for guarantees on funding to pay for a clean energy transition. Those states said it was unfair that all member states should commit to the same goal without considering their respective energy dependencies.
To win their approval, member states agreed that the new target should be delivered collectively.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country had achieved its goals, securing additional cash from the EU modernization fund.
The European Parliament, which itself is pushing for a slightly higher target, still has to approve the Commission's new emissions goal.
Both targets, however, are lower than those proposed by the UK, which is set to leave the EU's single market and customs union at the end of the month and has vowed that environmental standards will not suffer as a result.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that he wants the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030.
World leaders agreed five years ago in Paris to keep the global warming increase to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. Under the Paris climate agreement, countries are required to submit updated climate targets by the end of this year.
Issued on: 12/12/2020 -
China's President Xi Jinping is among the leaders taking part in the summit
JOHANNES EISELE AFP
London (AFP)
Global leaders were due to announce more ambitious plans to combat global warming on Saturday, on the fifth anniversary of the signing of the landmark Paris Agreement.
The Climate Ambition Summit, being held online, comes as the United Nations warns current commitments to tackle rises in global temperatures are inadequate.
Britain, the UN and France are co-hosting the summit, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson will open at 1400 GMT and which will be live-streamed at climateambitionsummit2020.org.
China's President Xi Jinping and France's Emmanuel Macron are among the heads of state taking part, with speaking slots handed to leaders of countries that submitted the most ambitious plans.
These include Honduras, and Guatemala, which were both recently hit by hurricanes, as well as India, which is battling increasingly erratic weather patterns and air pollution.
Business figures set to speak reportedly include Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, which has committed to making its whole supply chain carbon neutral by 2030.
But major economies including Australia, Brazil and South Africa are absent. Australia has not committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and has been accused of setting targets that are too weak.
Speakers will deliver short video messages, with organisers saying they will announce "new and ambitious climate change commitments" and there will be "no space for general statements".
The 2015 Paris climate accord saw signatories commit to take action to limit temperature rises to "well below" 2.0 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and try to limit them to 1.5C.
But the UN warned this week that under current commitments, the Earth is still on course for a "catastrophic temperature rise" of more than 3.0C this century.
It warned this will create a crisis that will "dwarf the impacts of Covid-19" and has said current pledges to cut emissions to meet the Paris accord were "woefully inadequate".
- 'Moment of accountability' -
Greenpeace called the summit -- seen as a warm-up for the UN's climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, next November -- a "moment of accountability for leaders".
Under the Paris deal's "ratchet" mechanism, countries are required to submit renewed emissions cutting plans — termed Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs — every five years.
The deadline for this is December 31.
Countries are set to announce efforts to reduce national emissions, long-term strategies and financial commitments to support the most vulnerable.
More than 110 countries have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. China, the world's biggest polluter, announced in September it plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
The summit comes as EU leaders on Friday committed to the goal of reducing emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
Britain -- out of the EU since January -- this month announced it would seek to reduce emissions by 68 percent over the same period.
Johnson has presented plans for a "green industrial revolution" creating up to 250,000 jobs.
And before the summit opened, he committed to ending all direct government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas.
The last five years have been the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization, a UN agency, with concern at rising numbers of wildfires, storms and flooding.
The UN has said that the drop in emissions due to the global coronavirus pandemic is too small to halt the rising temperatures.
The United States, the world's second-largest polluter after China, left the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump who questioned the accepted science behind climate change.
Incoming US climate envoy John Kerry plans immediately to re-enter the accord and President-elect Joe Biden has set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
© 2020 AFP
London (AFP)
Global leaders were due to announce more ambitious plans to combat global warming on Saturday, on the fifth anniversary of the signing of the landmark Paris Agreement.
The Climate Ambition Summit, being held online, comes as the United Nations warns current commitments to tackle rises in global temperatures are inadequate.
Britain, the UN and France are co-hosting the summit, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson will open at 1400 GMT and which will be live-streamed at climateambitionsummit2020.org.
China's President Xi Jinping and France's Emmanuel Macron are among the heads of state taking part, with speaking slots handed to leaders of countries that submitted the most ambitious plans.
These include Honduras, and Guatemala, which were both recently hit by hurricanes, as well as India, which is battling increasingly erratic weather patterns and air pollution.
Business figures set to speak reportedly include Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, which has committed to making its whole supply chain carbon neutral by 2030.
But major economies including Australia, Brazil and South Africa are absent. Australia has not committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and has been accused of setting targets that are too weak.
Speakers will deliver short video messages, with organisers saying they will announce "new and ambitious climate change commitments" and there will be "no space for general statements".
The 2015 Paris climate accord saw signatories commit to take action to limit temperature rises to "well below" 2.0 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and try to limit them to 1.5C.
But the UN warned this week that under current commitments, the Earth is still on course for a "catastrophic temperature rise" of more than 3.0C this century.
It warned this will create a crisis that will "dwarf the impacts of Covid-19" and has said current pledges to cut emissions to meet the Paris accord were "woefully inadequate".
- 'Moment of accountability' -
Greenpeace called the summit -- seen as a warm-up for the UN's climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, next November -- a "moment of accountability for leaders".
Under the Paris deal's "ratchet" mechanism, countries are required to submit renewed emissions cutting plans — termed Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs — every five years.
The deadline for this is December 31.
Countries are set to announce efforts to reduce national emissions, long-term strategies and financial commitments to support the most vulnerable.
More than 110 countries have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. China, the world's biggest polluter, announced in September it plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
The summit comes as EU leaders on Friday committed to the goal of reducing emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
Britain -- out of the EU since January -- this month announced it would seek to reduce emissions by 68 percent over the same period.
Johnson has presented plans for a "green industrial revolution" creating up to 250,000 jobs.
And before the summit opened, he committed to ending all direct government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas.
The last five years have been the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization, a UN agency, with concern at rising numbers of wildfires, storms and flooding.
The UN has said that the drop in emissions due to the global coronavirus pandemic is too small to halt the rising temperatures.
The United States, the world's second-largest polluter after China, left the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump who questioned the accepted science behind climate change.
Incoming US climate envoy John Kerry plans immediately to re-enter the accord and President-elect Joe Biden has set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
© 2020 AFP
EU Chiefs Back Tough Emission Goal After Last-Minute Scuffle
Ewa Krukowska
Fri., December 11, 2020
(Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders have agreed to more aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, one year after launching a moonshot Green Deal that led the way for other major economies to raise their climate ambitions.
The decision to cut pollution by at least 55% by 2030, up from 40% previously, was expected. But it helps keep global momentum on the issue going into 2021, when incoming U.S. President Joe Biden plans to re-join the landmark Paris Agreement and set a 2050 net-zero goal. It also gives European leaders a bold new commitment to tout at a global climate meeting on Saturday.
The EU decision was reached at a summit in Brussels that began on Thursday and ran through most of the night as three poorer, fossil-fuel reliant Eastern countries opposed an initial deal, asking for more help to clean up their economies.
Their last-minute pushback shocked western leaders, prompting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say she was speechless, according to two officials with knowledge of the discussions. “Climate was a nightmare,” said an EU diplomat. “I’ve never seen so many revised versions of one-page conclusions.”
Ewa Krukowska
Fri., December 11, 2020
(Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders have agreed to more aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, one year after launching a moonshot Green Deal that led the way for other major economies to raise their climate ambitions.
The decision to cut pollution by at least 55% by 2030, up from 40% previously, was expected. But it helps keep global momentum on the issue going into 2021, when incoming U.S. President Joe Biden plans to re-join the landmark Paris Agreement and set a 2050 net-zero goal. It also gives European leaders a bold new commitment to tout at a global climate meeting on Saturday.
The EU decision was reached at a summit in Brussels that began on Thursday and ran through most of the night as three poorer, fossil-fuel reliant Eastern countries opposed an initial deal, asking for more help to clean up their economies.
Their last-minute pushback shocked western leaders, prompting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say she was speechless, according to two officials with knowledge of the discussions. “Climate was a nightmare,” said an EU diplomat. “I’ve never seen so many revised versions of one-page conclusions.”
Hungary and the Czech Republic dropped their objections during the night but Poland continued to block the deal until 8 a.m. on Friday. It eventually agreed to the new target after getting assurances that the financial burden will not fall disproportionately on its shoulders. The new target will require an additional 350 billion euros ($424 billion) a year in energy production and infrastructure investment.
Climate-ambitious western economies, including France, Sweden and the Netherlands, were pushing for a swift agreement on the stricter emission-reduction target before Saturday’s Climate Ambition Summit marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. More than 70 countries are set to announce new commitments, and expectations are high for Chinese President Xi Jinping to build on his pledge that the world’s biggest polluter will be carbon neutral by 2060.
The last EU leaders’ summit of the year turned into a high-stakes meeting where financial aid, climate goals and Brexit collided in ways that have tested Merkel’s talent for finding compromises on the thorniest issues for the bloc. A deal was eventually reached on a massive economic recovery package, but Brexit was still unresolved with just days to go.
The EU is the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, right behind China and the U.S. Carbon dioxide emissions from Europe have been going down in recent years, largely driven by a reduction in the use of coal, which fell 18% in 2019, according to the Global Carbon Budget for 2020.
The EU’s new emissions target is part of the Green Deal recovery plan. By 2050, Europe wants to be the world’s first climate-neutral continent. The bloc will formalize its new pledge under the global climate accord at a meeting of environment ministers on Dec. 17.
The 2030 target is key to completing the European Climate Law, legislation that would make binding the Green Deal objective of eliminating greenhouse gases by the middle of the century. National governments and the European Parliament can now proceed with negotiations and shape a draft law by early next year.
Once adopted, the climate law will pave the way for a swath of regulations to implement the green transition. Next year the European Commission plans to propose measures that will strengthen the bloc’s carbon market, bolster rules to boost renewable energy, toughen emissions standards for cars and impose pollution limits on maritime transport.
(Updates with detail in fourth)
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
Climate-ambitious western economies, including France, Sweden and the Netherlands, were pushing for a swift agreement on the stricter emission-reduction target before Saturday’s Climate Ambition Summit marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. More than 70 countries are set to announce new commitments, and expectations are high for Chinese President Xi Jinping to build on his pledge that the world’s biggest polluter will be carbon neutral by 2060.
The last EU leaders’ summit of the year turned into a high-stakes meeting where financial aid, climate goals and Brexit collided in ways that have tested Merkel’s talent for finding compromises on the thorniest issues for the bloc. A deal was eventually reached on a massive economic recovery package, but Brexit was still unresolved with just days to go.
The EU is the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, right behind China and the U.S. Carbon dioxide emissions from Europe have been going down in recent years, largely driven by a reduction in the use of coal, which fell 18% in 2019, according to the Global Carbon Budget for 2020.
The EU’s new emissions target is part of the Green Deal recovery plan. By 2050, Europe wants to be the world’s first climate-neutral continent. The bloc will formalize its new pledge under the global climate accord at a meeting of environment ministers on Dec. 17.
The 2030 target is key to completing the European Climate Law, legislation that would make binding the Green Deal objective of eliminating greenhouse gases by the middle of the century. National governments and the European Parliament can now proceed with negotiations and shape a draft law by early next year.
Once adopted, the climate law will pave the way for a swath of regulations to implement the green transition. Next year the European Commission plans to propose measures that will strengthen the bloc’s carbon market, bolster rules to boost renewable energy, toughen emissions standards for cars and impose pollution limits on maritime transport.
(Updates with detail in fourth)
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
EU leaders agree to reduce emissions after all-night talks
The Canadian Press
Fri., December 11, 2020
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders reached a hard-fought deal Friday to cut the bloc’s net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of the decade compared with 1990 levels, avoiding a hugely embarrassing deadlock ahead of a U.N. climate meeting this weekend.
Following night-long discussions at their two-day summit in Brussels, the 27 member states approved the EU executive commission’s proposal to toughen the bloc’s intermediate target on the way to climate neutrality by mid-century, after a group of reluctant, coal-reliant countries finally agreed to support the improved goal.
“Europe is the leader in the fight against climate change,” tweeted EU Council president Charles Michel as daylight broke over the EU capital city. “We decided to cut our greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% by 2030.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 21-hour summit during which the climate debate was a constant worry, had much to show for it. “It was worth having a sleepless night," she said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, hailed Friday's deal.
“It’s a very welcome announcement, one that inscribes itself in the efforts the secretary-general has called on member states, the groups of member states, to take," Dujarric said.
Five years after the Paris agreement, the EU wants to be a leader in the fight against global warming. Yet the bloc’s leaders were unable to agree on the new target the last time they met in October, mainly because of financial concerns by eastern nations seeking more clarity about how to fund and handle the green transition.
But the long-awaited deal on a massive long-term budget and coronavirus recovery clinched Thursday by EU leaders swung the momentum.
Large swaths of the record-high 1.82 trillion-euro package are set to pour into programs and investments designed to help the member states, regions and sectors particularly affected by the green transition, which are in need of a deep economic and social transformation. EU leaders have agreed that 30% of the package — some 550 billion euros — should be used to support the transition.
Still, agreeing on common language was not an easy task. Negotiations were punctuated throughout the night by intense discussions in the plenary session and multiple chats in smaller groups on the sidelines.
Another delay in revising the EU’s current 40% emission cuts objective for 2030 would have been particularly embarrassing before the virtual Climate Ambition Summit marking five years since the Paris deal, and leaders worked to the wire to seal a deal.
The event on Saturday will be co-hosted by the U.K. with the United Nations and France.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised “a major signal” that will enable EU leaders “to bring in our wake our big international partners, especially the United States and China.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week he wants the U.K. to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030 — a more ambitious goal than the EU’s.
Poland, which last year didn’t commit to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal, and other eastern countries, including the Czech Republic and Hungary, largely depend on coal for their energy needs. They considered it unfair that all member states should be submitted to the same ambition without considering their respective energy mixes.
To win their approval, member states agreed that the new target should be delivered collectively. According to the Belgian Prime minister's office, “leaders agreed that the cuts will be first achieved in sectors and countries where there is still plenty of room for improvement."
In addition, the European Commission will take into account specific national situations when drawing up the measures. A progress report will be submitted to the European Council in the spring.
The accord also left the door open to member states to use gas or nuclear power as they drop fossil fuels. EU leaders agreed last year that nuclear energy would be part of the bloc’s solution to making its economy carbon neutral, and they reiterated Friday that they would respect member states' rights to decide on their energy mix and to choose the most appropriate technologies to reach the goal.
According to a French official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting, Poland also obtained guarantees that the EU's Emissions Trading System — a cap-and-trade scheme for industries to buy carbon credits covering about 40% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions — would be revamped. Poland wants the reform of the system to redirect more revenues to the poorer EU countries.
World leaders agreed five years ago in Paris to keep the global warming increase to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and ideally no more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) by the end of the century. Under the Paris accord, countries are required to submit updated climate targets by the end of this year.
Greenpeace and other environmental groups have said the improved EU target is insufficient to properly tackle climate change.
“To increase the chances of limiting global heating to 1.5°C and avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown, Greenpeace is calling for at least a 65% cut in EU emissions from polluting sectors by 2030,” the NGO said.
Climate Action Network Europe regretted that the revised “net” target includes carbon sinks like reforestation, meaning that emitting sectors will need to decarbonize less to reach the new goal.
“As the Commission indicates itself in its 2030 Climate Target Plan, if the EU is successful in implementing the Commission’s biodiversity, carbon removals could represent up to 5% of emissions. In this case the real emissions reduction target would be as low as 50%,” the NGO said.
EU leaders also encouraged the commission to propose a carbon tax at the bloc’s borders for countries that did do not regulate CO2 emissions as strictly as the EU does.
___
Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this story.
___
Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
Fri., December 11, 2020
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders reached a hard-fought deal Friday to cut the bloc’s net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of the decade compared with 1990 levels, avoiding a hugely embarrassing deadlock ahead of a U.N. climate meeting this weekend.
Following night-long discussions at their two-day summit in Brussels, the 27 member states approved the EU executive commission’s proposal to toughen the bloc’s intermediate target on the way to climate neutrality by mid-century, after a group of reluctant, coal-reliant countries finally agreed to support the improved goal.
“Europe is the leader in the fight against climate change,” tweeted EU Council president Charles Michel as daylight broke over the EU capital city. “We decided to cut our greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% by 2030.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 21-hour summit during which the climate debate was a constant worry, had much to show for it. “It was worth having a sleepless night," she said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, hailed Friday's deal.
“It’s a very welcome announcement, one that inscribes itself in the efforts the secretary-general has called on member states, the groups of member states, to take," Dujarric said.
Five years after the Paris agreement, the EU wants to be a leader in the fight against global warming. Yet the bloc’s leaders were unable to agree on the new target the last time they met in October, mainly because of financial concerns by eastern nations seeking more clarity about how to fund and handle the green transition.
But the long-awaited deal on a massive long-term budget and coronavirus recovery clinched Thursday by EU leaders swung the momentum.
Large swaths of the record-high 1.82 trillion-euro package are set to pour into programs and investments designed to help the member states, regions and sectors particularly affected by the green transition, which are in need of a deep economic and social transformation. EU leaders have agreed that 30% of the package — some 550 billion euros — should be used to support the transition.
Still, agreeing on common language was not an easy task. Negotiations were punctuated throughout the night by intense discussions in the plenary session and multiple chats in smaller groups on the sidelines.
Another delay in revising the EU’s current 40% emission cuts objective for 2030 would have been particularly embarrassing before the virtual Climate Ambition Summit marking five years since the Paris deal, and leaders worked to the wire to seal a deal.
The event on Saturday will be co-hosted by the U.K. with the United Nations and France.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised “a major signal” that will enable EU leaders “to bring in our wake our big international partners, especially the United States and China.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week he wants the U.K. to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030 — a more ambitious goal than the EU’s.
Poland, which last year didn’t commit to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal, and other eastern countries, including the Czech Republic and Hungary, largely depend on coal for their energy needs. They considered it unfair that all member states should be submitted to the same ambition without considering their respective energy mixes.
To win their approval, member states agreed that the new target should be delivered collectively. According to the Belgian Prime minister's office, “leaders agreed that the cuts will be first achieved in sectors and countries where there is still plenty of room for improvement."
In addition, the European Commission will take into account specific national situations when drawing up the measures. A progress report will be submitted to the European Council in the spring.
The accord also left the door open to member states to use gas or nuclear power as they drop fossil fuels. EU leaders agreed last year that nuclear energy would be part of the bloc’s solution to making its economy carbon neutral, and they reiterated Friday that they would respect member states' rights to decide on their energy mix and to choose the most appropriate technologies to reach the goal.
According to a French official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting, Poland also obtained guarantees that the EU's Emissions Trading System — a cap-and-trade scheme for industries to buy carbon credits covering about 40% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions — would be revamped. Poland wants the reform of the system to redirect more revenues to the poorer EU countries.
World leaders agreed five years ago in Paris to keep the global warming increase to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and ideally no more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) by the end of the century. Under the Paris accord, countries are required to submit updated climate targets by the end of this year.
Greenpeace and other environmental groups have said the improved EU target is insufficient to properly tackle climate change.
“To increase the chances of limiting global heating to 1.5°C and avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown, Greenpeace is calling for at least a 65% cut in EU emissions from polluting sectors by 2030,” the NGO said.
Climate Action Network Europe regretted that the revised “net” target includes carbon sinks like reforestation, meaning that emitting sectors will need to decarbonize less to reach the new goal.
“As the Commission indicates itself in its 2030 Climate Target Plan, if the EU is successful in implementing the Commission’s biodiversity, carbon removals could represent up to 5% of emissions. In this case the real emissions reduction target would be as low as 50%,” the NGO said.
EU leaders also encouraged the commission to propose a carbon tax at the bloc’s borders for countries that did do not regulate CO2 emissions as strictly as the EU does.
___
Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this story.
___
Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press
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