EU and the Paris agreement: towards climate neutrality
92% of Europeans agree that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced to a minimum while offsetting the remaining emissions, in order to make the EU economy climate-neutral by 2050
The EU will need to update its long-term climate goals in 2020. Parliament wants more ambitious goals, but will EU countries agree to aim for climate neutrality by 2050?
On 28 November MEPs adopted a resolution calling for the EU to set climate neutrality by 2050 as its long-term climate goal under the Paris agreement and to increase the emission reduction target to 55% by 2030. In a separate resolution, members declared a climate emergency in Europe.
The Paris agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C in order to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change. It has been signed by 194 countries as well as the European Union. All EU countries are signatories on their own, but they coordinate their positions together and set common emission reduction goals at the EU level.
National emission reduction goals
In order to reach the goal of the Paris agreement, countries are required to set goals for their climate efforts every five years, increasing their level of ambition over time. These goals are known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Updates and new goals are expected from all signatories by the end of 2020.
EU’s climate goals
The EU was the first major economy to submit its emissions reduction goal under the Paris agreement. The EU’s current goal is to reduce its CO2 emissions 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. However, there is increasing pressure to set a more ambitious level.
According to an IPCC report on global warming from 2018, global emissions should reach net zero by 2050 if the 1.5 °C target is to be met. Global youth protests and school strikes for climate, started by the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and a special Eurobarometer survey from 2019 show that Europeans are willing to pursue stricter climate goals.
EU leaders will discuss climate change and the EU’s long-term climate goals during their December summit and the EU is expected to submit its updated climate strategy to the UN in early 2020.
Key terms
UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change): entered into force in 1994 and under which Paris Agreement and Kyoto protocol have been agreed
COP (Conference of the parties to the UNFCCC): participants come together every year to discuss how to achieve the convention’s targets
NDC (nationally determined contribution): the climate change mitigation goal each signatory of Paris agreement is required to set every five years