As the UN climate talks were wrapping up in Madrid, The European Union (EU) leaders met in Brussels and agreed to become carbon neutral by 2050. The plan includes sustainable agriculture, resource use and waste reduction, and the enforcement of environmental rules.
The meeting that lasted 10 hours by the current 28 member EU bloc took some extra convincing for some countries to be willing to comply. Hungary and the Czech Republic agreed to support the deal only after they were assured that nuclear energy could still be used.
Poland, on the other hand, does not wish to comply with the deal. The country still relies on coal to produce 80% of its electricity.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who called the negotiations difficult, commented: “This rule that must also be included in the legislative process, the rule that Poland would be reaching climate neutrality at its own pace.”
European Council President Charles Michel, said the EU will continue to try and convince Poland to support the deal.
We took this decision with respect for many concerns of different countries because we know that it’s important to take into consideration the different national circumstances and also different starting points.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s lending arm, announced it will provide €1tn between 2021-2030, for environmental sustainability and climate action. Despite this, many of the countries involved used the excuse that it will be difficult for them to meet the demands because of the cost.
The EU’s new Green Deal has been met with much criticism, with many saying their promises are just not good enough.
Susann Scherbarth, climate justice spokesperson for Friends of the Earth Europe, said the EU’s decision falls short of what is needed:
A target 30 years in the future in 2050 does not represent emergency action, and it absolutely must be matched with immediate action to dramatically reduce climate emissions everywhere. Like the green deal unveiled by the European Commission, this promise risks being too late and too vague on details how it will be achieved.
The European Environmental Bureau released a statement about the draft plans, saying that it “raised concerns that some of the specific commitments in the European Green Deal will fall well short of what science deems is required to address problems such as climate change.”
It’s a shame that despite all the new information and scientific data to back it up, world leaders are still not willing to comply and do whatever is necessary to reduce emissions. Poland went as far as to say that they could comply and meet the target numbers by 2070. The next meeting by the EU council will be held in June 2020. Let’s hope more strict guidelines are in place by then with greater penalties for those who are unwilling to change. Because, if the fines cost more than reducing emissions, money can no longer be an excuse.
