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– Europe leads the fight against climate change, writes the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on Twitter.
Despite signs of broad agreement before the meeting, the decision was far from over. Thursday night turned into night and then until Friday morning before the leaders agreed. Especially countries that use a lot of coal today resisted.
The new goal is a significant adjustment from the previous goal of reducing 40 percent. Both cuts are based on the level of emissions in 1990.
The agreement enters into force five years after the Paris agreement. This weekend, the UN and the UK will host the Summit on Climate Ambition, as a kind of replacement for this year’s climate summit in Glasgow.
Recently, China, South Korea and the United Kingdom, among others, have launched new climate targets until 2030. With today’s agreement, the EU will not have to participate in the meeting this weekend without a correspondingly reinforced ambition.
1.82 billion euros
They were unable to agree on the new target last time they met in October, mainly due to economic concerns from Eastern European countries about how to finance and manage the green transition.
The cut is part of the plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. The leaders of the EU countries are now calling on the other EU institutions to include the 55 percent target in the Union’s climate law.
This summer, EU leaders agreed on a budget for the union of 1.82 billion euros over the next seven years. Under the agreement, 30% of the package will be used to support the transition.
– Very good news
The Minister of Climate and Environment, Sveinung Rotevatn (V), is very satisfied with the decision of the EU summit.
Minister of Climate and Environment Sveinung Rotevatn
Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / NRK
– This are very good news. Both Prime Minister Erna Solberg and I have repeatedly called on the EU to boost its target to 55 percent, Rotevatn says in a press release.
He believes the new EU targets make it easier for Norway to achieve its climate goals.
– The EU is the world’s largest market, and strict climate targets there make it even more profitable to invest in new climate technologies, says Climate and Environment Minister Sveinung Rotevatn
In February, the government announced a new and strengthened climate target to the UN. The new target was a 50-55 percent cut in emissions compared to 1990 by 2030.
