The European Parliament has declared a Climate Emergency. Additionally, it mandates the EU delegation to demand higher climate ambitions at the climate summit in Madrid (COP25). For this climate summit in December, Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout (GroenLinks) will lead the European Parliament delegation.
The European Parliament seeks a more ambitious European stance in Madrid than that of the European environment ministers and the European Commission, Eickhout explains. This is clearest regarding raising the European CO2 target. While the other two European institutions avoid the issue, the European Parliament is crystal clear: the target must be increased from 40 percent emission reduction to at least 55 percent. "You can count on me to defend this position in Madrid," said Eickhout. The EU must be climate neutral by 2050 at the latest and commit to this during the UN conference in Madrid in December, according to the Parliament.
The resolution on the climate and environmental emergency was adopted with 429 votes in favor, 225 against, and 19 abstentions. The European Parliament adopted the resolution on the 2019 UN Climate Conference in Madrid, Spain (COP25) with 430 votes in favor, 190 against, and 34 abstentions.
Several countries, local governments, and scientists have declared that our planet is facing a climate emergency. The European Commission has already proposed to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 at the latest, but the European Council has yet to approve this proposal: Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic are opposed.
MEPs also want the European Commission to ensure that all relevant laws and budget proposals fully comply with the goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 °C.
The MEPs further emphasize that current aviation and shipping emission reduction ambitions are insufficient to meet the long-term goal of climate neutrality. All countries should include emissions from international shipping and aviation in their pollution calculations, the MEPs said. They also urge the Commission to propose including the maritime sector in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
The Parliament believes that EU countries should at least double their contributions to the international Green Climate Fund. EU member states are the largest public funders of climate policy, and the EU budget must meet international obligations. So, if more climate policy is decided in Madrid, more EU funding must also be made available.
“The European Parliament has taken an ambitious stance ahead of the upcoming COP 25 in Madrid. Given the climate and environmental crisis, it is essential to reduce our CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030. This is also a clear and timely message to the European Commission, which will publish the Green Deal in a few weeks,” said Pascal Canfin (ReNew, FR), chair of the EP Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.