In today’s vote on the resolution on the EU’s long-term climate strategy, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee called for increasing the EU’s 2030 climate target to 55 percent emission cuts compared to 1990 levels, and achieving net zero emissions as early as possible and by 2050 at the latest.
This would bring European efforts closer to what is required for keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C, in line with the landmark IPCC report published last year.
In reaction to the Environment Committee’s resolution adopted today, Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said:
“The call for raising the EU’s 2030 to 55% is particularly welcome, as it is emission cuts between now and 2030 that will make or break our response to the climate crisis. MEPs are stepping up to the mark in response to growing pressure from citizens, from “striking” school children to the growth of climate litigation.”
According to CAN Europe, to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C, the EU needs to significantly increase its 2030 target to at least 65% domestic greenhouse gas emission reductions, compared to 1990 levels.
MEPs also urged European leaders to support the increase of the 2030 and 2050 targets at the special EU Summit in Sibiu in May 2019, so that an agreement on the long-term strategy can be reached before the UN Secretary General Climate Summit in September 2019, where all countries are expected to put forward new commitments for more climate action.
The resolution now needs to be adopted by the Parliament’s plenary. The vote is scheduled to take place in the week of 11 March. The strategy will also be discussed by the Energy and Environment Councils (4 and 5 March, respectively). It may also be subject of European leaders’ debate at the European Council on 21 and 22 March.
ENDS
Ania Drazkiewicz, CAN Europe Head of Communications, ania@caneurope.org, +32 494 525 738
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 150 member organisations from 35 European countries, representing over 1.700 NGOs and more than 40 million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies throughout Europe.
