In the draft concept for the European Green Deal leaked to the media yesterday, the new European Commission pledges to propose an increase of the EU 2030 climate target, but only in October 2020, which is far too late. This would mean that the EU would miss the Paris Agreement deadline for increasing targets in 2020.
Read more: European Green Deal draft out of sync with the Paris Agreement timeline
At a plenary session held today, the European Parliament declared climate emergency and called upon EU decision makers to take action accordingly, but did little to advance real change.
Speaking at the European Parliament on the occasion of the approval of her Commission, the new Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that the fight against climate change will be one of her main policy priorities.
By the end of the year, EU countries will have to submit their final National Energy and Climate Plans to present how they will contribute to the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets. A new report released today indicates how much progress has been made since the European Commission published its recommendations on each Member State’s draft NECP. Despite some improvements, Member States need to do more in the next month to ensure that they at least meet the EU’s 2030 objectives, let alone the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Read more: New report calls on EU countries to ramp up their 2030 energy and climate plans
The UN Environment Emissions Gap Report 2019 [1] published today shows that in 2020, countries need to dramatically strengthen their 2030 climate targets and sharply accelerate emission cuts.
Read more: Pressure mounts on governments, as UN calls for immediate and drastic action