In 2018, carbon emissions across the EU decreased by 2.5% compared to the year before, according to the preliminary data published by Eurostat today.
Read more: EU emissions finally decrease again, highlighting the need for sustained action
On the eve of the Future of Europe Summit on 9 May, governments representing eight EU Member States called for putting climate action at the centre of future EU cooperation and for substantially increasing the EU’s efforts to combat climate change.
Read more: Eight EU countries call for making climate action a priority for Europe
Today, the UK Parliament voted to declare a “climate emergency” and became the first in Europe to clearly underline the urgency to address climate change. The vote in the House of Commons came as an answer to wide-spread citizen mobilisations in the UK which urged decision makers to step up climate action in an unprecedented way.
In an unprecedented Climate Action Call published today, a broad coalition is urging European leaders to take decisive action to respond to the climate emergency. Hundreds of European cities, regions, businesses, youth and faith groups and civil society organisations working on climate, human rights, litigation, mobilization, sports and health call upon leaders to profoundly alter the way we run our societies and economies to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.
Read more: European stakeholders call for immediate action in face of climate emergency
Centre and conservative parties of the current European Parliament have failed to treat climate change with the urgency it demands, according to a new ranking published today by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. At the same time, national champions in these groups demonstrate that centre and conservative parties can play a positive role in climate policy-making and that climate action can become a cross-party priority in the upcoming European elections.
Read more: Defenders, Delayers or Dinosaurs: where do EU political groups stand on climate change?