[ad_1]
EU leaders will decide this week whether to increase the EU’s emissions reduction target to 55 percent by 2030, from the current target of 40 percent.
If the new goal is unanimously adopted by the head of state and government on Thursday (December 10), Block 27 will be able to present a new commitment under the UN’s Paris climate agreement before the deadline for the end of year.
However, the climate talks will take place against a background of tensions over the rule of law and the long-term EU budget, which Poland and Hungary threaten to veto.
The ongoing clashes between Member States are expected to influence, in one way or another, the debate on climate targets for 2030.
An EU official warned Monday that EU leaders are unlikely to reach an agreement on the new climate target if no progress is made on the EU budget before the summit.
However, some experts remain optimistic that a deal is highly possible as pressure mounts on the EU to update its commitment under the Paris Agreement before the end of 2020.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries must set targets for their climate efforts every five years to limit global warming to “well below two degrees.” New targets are expected from all signatories that have ratified the climate agreement.
“A climate agreement could be the most positive thing to come out of this council. It is the right time to make a decision,” said Wendel Trio, director of the Brussels-based NGO Climate Action Network Europe.
However, it would be “a shame” for the EU to attend this Saturday’s online event, which marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, without updating its commitments, Trio said.
“This would call into question the leadership of the EU, limiting the role of the EU at the international level,” he warned.
Since the planned COP26 UN climate conference was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the upcoming climate ambition summit is seen as this year’s key event on climate diplomacy.
So far, only 16 countries (accounting for just 4.6 percent of global emissions) have formally submitted a new or updated 2030 target, according to the World Resources Institute. These include Norway, China, Japan, and New Zealand.
The G20 countries are responsible for around 80 percent of global emissions, of which around 10 percent are attributable to the EU.
Gas and nuclear
The draft conclusions for the summit, seen by EUobserver, would see member states endorse a binding EU-wide target of “at least 55 percent”, while promoting the right of national governments to choose their own mix. national energy.
This so-called “technological neutrality” ensures that member states, such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Poland or France, will be able to use nuclear energy or natural gas to reduce their emissions.
That’s controversial because life cycle emissions from using fossil gas can in some cases exceed those from coal, undermining the energy transition for countries that are heavily dependent on this fossil fuel.
In addition, environmental groups have warned that political sensitivity around nuclear power in some member states undermines the goals of the Green Deal while increasing the exposure of people and the environment to the risk of serious and long-lasting accidents.
Member states are also expected to ask the European Commission to make available extra money from the bloc’s internal carbon market (the European Emissions Trading System) to reduce energy poverty, a request made by countries like Poland, which currently It generates about 80 percent of its electricity from coal.
Once EU leaders reach a deal, they will still have to reach a compromise with the European Parliament, which recently called for a higher 60 percent reduction in emissions over the next decade.
Pressure from cities
Meanwhile, regions and cities warned EU leaders that a bottom-up approach is essential for the success of the Green Deal, as local authorities are ultimately responsible for implementing the policies.
“EU member states must agree to reduce carbon emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 and approve the EU’s long-term budget and recovery plans without delay,” the chairman of the EU Committee said on Tuesday. the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
“Local and regional leaders understand that making our homes energy efficient, recycling our waste or making our transportation cleaner, makes environmental and economic sense,” he added.
EU regions want to end all public subsidies for fossil fuels and expand the Just Transition Fund, aimed at supporting regions that depend on fossil fuels, to make a rapid transition to more sustainable economies.
