Madrid Summit: European Parliament declares Climate Emergency

The European Parliament has declared the Climate Emergency. In addition, it instructs the EU delegation to demand a higher climate ambition at the climate summit in Madrid (COP25). For this climate summit in December, Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout (GroenLinks) is the delegation leader of the European Parliament.

The European Parliament wants a more ambitious European position in Madrid than the European environment ministers and the European Commission, Eickhout explains. This is most evident when it comes to raising the European CO2 target. Where the other two European institutions revolve around hot knit, the European Parliament is crystal clear: the target must be from 40 percent less emissions to at least 55 percent less. "You bet I'll defend that position in Madrid," said Eickhout. The EU must be climate neutral by 2050 at the latest and commit to this at the UN conference in Madrid in December, the Parliament said.

The resolution on the climate and environment 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 votes against and 34 abstentions.

A number of countries, local governments and scientists have stated that our planet is facing a climate emergency. The European Commission has already proposed to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, but the European Council has still not approved this proposal: Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are against.

The EP members also want the European Commission to ensure that all relevant laws and budget proposals are fully in line with the objective of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 ° C.

MEPs also emphasize that the current aviation and shipping ambitions in the field of emission reductions are not sufficient to achieve the long-term goal of climate neutrality. All countries should include emissions from international shipping and aviation in their calculations on air pollution, according to the EP members. They also ask the Commission to make a proposal to include the maritime sector in the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS).

Parliament believes that EU countries should at least double their contributions to the international Green Climate Fund. The EU member states are the largest public financiers of climate policy, and the EU budget must meet international obligations. So if more climate policy is decided in Madrid, more EU money must also be made available for it.

"The European Parliament has taken an ambitious position in the run-up to the upcoming COP 25 in Madrid. Given the climate and environmental crisis, it is essential to reduce our CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030. It is also a clear and up-to-date message to the European Commission that will be publishing the Green Deal in a few weeks, "said Pascal Canfin (ReNew, FR), chairman of the EP Environmental Management Committee.