EU leaders have been handed a warning by the world's leading climate scientists that our society is vastly underprepared to deal with the risks posed by unavoidable climate change impacts.
Read more: UN body lays out stark future under extreme climate change
CAN Europe [1] is shocked that EU Heads of State failed today to recognise the urgency of the climate crisis, just ahead of the release of a new IPCC scientific report warning that climate impacts are much more severe than previously thought. [2]
Read more: EU leaders risk planetary emergency by delaying climate decisions
Today in Strasbourg, the European Parliament confirmed the position it adopted on 3rd July to amend the EU ETS (Emissions Trading System) Directive to allow the backloading proposal to move forward. Changing the ETS Directive enables delaying auctions of 900 million pollution permits in order to temporarily correct the massive oversupply on the EU’s carbon market.
CAN Europe and WWF welcomed today’s final approval by EU ministers for the “backloading” measure that will temporarily withdraw 900 million pollution permits from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). After almost a year and a half of wrangling, the temporary “quick fix” for the glut of permits on the EU’s carbon market finally nears implementation with EU Member States backing the measure by an overwhelming majority.
Read more: Permanent removal of toxic pollution permits must follow EU carbon market fix
With a minimal agreement on the pathway to defining an ambitious binding climate agreement in Paris in 2015, the climate conference in Warsaw pushed most of the work that needs to be done way ahead. While the EU fought for a robust timetable for putting emission reduction commitments for the new Treaty on the table, it failed to provide the necessary incentives to get all developing countries on board, especially the emerging economies.
Read more: After Warsaw, EU Leaders Need To Agree Ambitious 2030 Targets