The 2030 target for greenhouse gas emissions reduction (compared to 1990 levels) in the EU now is 40%. The European Commission proposed to raise that to 55%, but the EU parliament doesn’t think that’s good enough. It has voted to update the bloc’s climate target to 60% instead, putting capitals under pressure.
The majority vote favored the legally binding target: 392 MEPs backed it, 161 voted against it, and 142 abstained. To finalize the law, Parliament and all the EU member countries will need to agree on it. This may prove not easy because not everyone agrees on how ambitious it should be. The law also obliges each of the 27 member states to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Pascal Canfin, the head of the chamber’s environment committee, proposed the 2030 target. He said:
The Parliament’s vote was a rejection of a 55% emissions reduction target for 2030 proposed by the commission, the EU’s executive body led by Ursula von der Leyen. Having the Parliament supporting 60% helps the progressive countries in the council to drive ambition upwards.
The text has been forwarded to the EU Council of Ministers for final approval. They aim to wrap up negotiations by the end of the year.
Canfin said:
The Parliament is ambitious on substance and on timeline. We will not accept trade-offs between the two. We have to have a political agreement on the climate law before 12 December – the fifth anniversary of the Paris agreement and the entry into force of this agreement. It would be such a pity for the EU and such a setback for the EU’s German presidency not to be ready for that moment that I can’t imagine this scenario.
Those who oppose the 60% reduction target say that it would be too expensive for the European industry to implement.
Peter Liese, a German lawmaker from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), called for EU member states to stick with the European Commission’s initial proposal of a 55% cut, saying that anything more was overambitious and endangering to jobs.
Agnes Evren, a French MEP from the EPP group, said:
Going beyond 55% would endanger jobs. Let’s not be ideological.
Manfred Weber agreed, saying that it would lead to job losses by making European companies uncompetitive. He said:
With the climate law, Europe is leading the battle against climate change. But this will not be easy! -55% of CO2 is a huge challenge for companies in Europe. If we don’t get this right, we will lose those jobs to China or the USA. The -60% target is a shot in the dark.
Our climate decisions should speak to all of society, not only to the wealthy. Not everyone can afford an electric car! The most vulnerable citizens should not pay the highest price for our climate targets. We will not succeed if our climate law is not inclusive.
Even the 55% target will have enormous implications for all sectors, resulting in higher carbon costs for several businesses and a sharp drop in coal-fired power.
However, Canfin argued that:
There is no trade-off between prosperity and climate action. On the contrary, the cost of inaction is much higher than the cost of action.
Since passing the law requires unanimous support from all member states, the resistance matters. What’s more, according to WWF, 60% isn’t even enough to keep global warming at manageable levels. It says the target should be at least 65% with a separate target for carbon removals from sinks.
