Due to Political Divisions, The European Union has not yet reached an Agreement on a New Climate Target. As a result, the EU is missing the un deadline for submitting new climate plans and risks going to the next climate summit empty-handed.
The EU and all other Countries Must Submit Their Climate Plan for 2035 to the United Nations. The Paris Climate Agreement Stipulates That Countries Update and Tighten Their Climate Plans Every Five Years.
An Earlier Deadline in February Has Already Been Missed by Most Member States. Un Chief António Guterres Has Called for the Plan to Be Submitted Before the General Assembly in New York Next Week.
Instead of a concrete target to reduce emissions and how to do it, the eu can only present a declaration of intent for the time being. This Intention is a reduction of CO2 Emissions Between 66 and 72 percent in 2035. Accordance to experts, this Margin is Quite Wide: Only the Highest percentage is in line with the goal that the European Commission Actually: 90 percent lessue to pursue.
Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra Said at a Press Conference on Thorsday Evening that Despite Differences of Opinion Between the Member States, the EU “Can Go to New York with Confidence”. He claimed that the declaration of intent is “clearly in line with the paris agreement”, just though it contains two divergent percentages.
Weakened Target Presented in July
Last July, Hoekstra Proudly Presented His Climate Plan for 2040. At that time, The Target had Already Been Wakened Compared to a Preliminary Proposal from the Previous European Commission, Because Countries Are Partly Allowed to Offseet Their Emissions.
A Target for 2040 is a March Towards 2050, when the entire eu must be climate neutral. In practice, this mean that country then no longer emit anything or will compensate for the emissions that are still there. The interim target for 2040 would help Member States Achieve the Legally Binding Target of 2050.
Haggling in Brussels
But Since the Announcement of the Climate Target, There Has Been a Lot of Haggling Behind the Scenes in Brussels, Says Mep Bas Eickhout or GroenLinks-Pvda. Green Parties like his because to stick to the goal, But Several Countries have opposed Hoekstra’s Plans. Not Only Poland and Italy Are Against It, But Surprisingly France and Germany Are Now also Extremely Critical.
France is the Founder of the Most Important Climate Agreement: The Paris Agreement. But the country is currently in a national political crisis. And the Germans Were also in Favor of Ambitious Climate Policy, But Turned Around After French President Emmanuel Macron Spoke Out Against That Ambition.
The European Environment Ministers Were Actually Supposed to Vote On The Plan For 2040 on Thursday. That vote is now postponed until the end of October, at the next eu summit. All EU Government Leaders must agree to this, but that will be a tough utility to crack. Hoekstra Said on Thursday that he is confident of a good outcome, even before the climate summit.
Without a Plan for 2040, The Climate Target for 2035 Will not be clear in time for the deadline. That could be a Problem for the thirtieth climate summit, where the plans of all Countries Together will be examined.
‘Important That Eu Mintains Pioneering Role’
“In the field of climate, it would be a loss of face if Europe came to Brazil Empty-handed,” Thinks Sam van den Plas or Carbon Market Watch. He Has Been Analyzing the Climate Debate in Brussels for Years and Calls the Target for 2040 A “Hot Topic”. It is not too too late, he thinks, although the paths to an amitious European Climate Plan are Becoming Increasingly Limited.
Van den Plas Sees That a Lot Of Work is Being Done Behind the Scenes to Find a Solution to Prevent A Disgrace in Belém. “Climate Policy is not easy worldwide at the moment,” he says, referring to the us, which has withdrawn from the paris climate agreement under President Donald Trump. “But it is important that the EU Maintainins its pioneering role.”
If the eu does not do that, it could ensure that other country less ambition, Eickhout Thinks. This has Major Consequences, Especiate, Major Emitters Such as China and India Still Have to Submit Their Plan. “This Means That Europe is Throwing Away the Opportunity to Put Pressure on Those Countries, which Makes The Chance of An Amitious Agreement in Belém a Lot Smaller.”