MEPs from the Social Democrats S&D, liberal Renew, The Greens, and United Left have jointly proposed an amendment to declare a ‘Climate Emergency’. The resolution will be discussed next week in Strasbourg, where the mandate for the EU’s contribution to the COP25 Climate Conference in Madrid will be set. The Greens/EFA have requested a supplementary debate on this topic.
The European Parliament must not only officially recognize the climate emergency but also agree on a number of concrete measures to make it tangible, says Dutch Green politician Bas Eickhout. He leads the European political delegation for those talks in Madrid. Earlier, the European Parliament's Environment Committee demanded more ambition at the climate summit. Next week it will become clear whether the entire European Parliament supports that appeal.
“The Environment Committee wants a much more ambitious European stance in Madrid than the Environment Ministers and the European Commission. This is clearest when it comes to raising the European CO2 target. While the ministers and the Commission are still avoiding the issue, the Environment Committee is crystal clear: the target must be increased from 40 percent to at least 55 percent.
The European Christian Democrats tried to include a lower target in the text but were in the minority.
“Following the scientific reports on the climate and biodiversity crisis and all recent climate-related natural disasters, it is more than time to officially declare a climate and environmental emergency at the European level and reach agreement on concrete measures to respond to this urgency. It is encouraging to see other groups in the European Parliament finally taking these issues seriously and supporting the declaration of a climate and environmental emergency in the European Union.