A more ambitious goal
Last Wednesday (March 21), an agreement on climate law was reached by representatives of the European Parliament and the 27 members of the Union. A timely decision given that, in the days that followed, the summit of world leaders on climate organized by US President Joe Biden took place.
This new European climate law brings the target of reducing EU carbon emissions from 40% to at least 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030.
Taking into account a commitment by the European Commission to develop natural “carbon sinks” which absorb CO2 (such as forests, grasslands and reforestation actions), this agreement in fact paves the way for a net reduction of 57% of greenhouse gas emissions from the Old Continent (still with 1990 as the reference year).
A more binding legal framework
More ambitious than the 40% reduction in CO2 emissions that was previously targeted, this new objective is however below the expectations of MEPs who wanted to set the bar at at least 60%, or even 65% to be in line with the objectives from the Paris Agreement.
However, and we can only rejoice, this new European framework transforms the EU’s political promise to become climate neutral by 2050 into a binding obligation and offers increased legal certainty.
The next steps
This provisional agreement must now be formally approved by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety as well as in plenary session and in the Council. It will then enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU and will undoubtedly have an impact on a whole series of European laws.
No later than six months after the first global assessment of the Paris Agreement, the European Commission will also have to make a proposal relating to the 2040 objective. After 2050, it will have to take another step forward by striving to reach negative emissions, which means absorbing more CO2 than it will emit.
Our company commitment
As the WattElse team is fully convinced of the need for an energy transition as soon as possible, it is with great dynamism that we will do our best to contribute at our level to the deployment of this European Green Pact.