The European Parliament could declare a state of climatic and environmental emergency by a vote on Thursday 28 November, if the two groups that have each tabled a draft resolution - Renew Europe and the Greens/EFA - manage to achieve the large majority they expect. However, everyone must agree on the term to be used and which can suit everyone, in all languages.
Judging by the debate that MEPs had at the opening of the session on Monday 25 November, this is not necessarily a done deal. But the report published on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme, which shows that countries would have to increase their mitigation efforts fivefold (a 7.6% reduction in emissions each year until 2030) to have a chance of meeting the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, could serve as a stimulus.
The Renew Europe draft resolution, which is the subject of intergroup negotiations, declares a state of climatic and environmental emergency and calls for action to be taken accordingly. The Greens/EFA report is much more detailed, but is unlikely to be included (see EUROPE 12374/9).
"Just days from the Venice disaster, a few weeks after Donald Trump's official request to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a few hours before the vote to inaugurate the von der Leyen Commission, which has made the Green Deal a priority, there is no better time to declare a climatic and environmental emergency. There is no guarantee that Parliament will be in favour of this. However, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Portugal and Austria have said they are. This would be incomprehensible to citizens, especially young people", Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, France) said on Monday. He acknowledged that this was a "symbolic message" and called on "everyone’s responsibility" in this.
"We all agree to act, but in German, the word emergency (Notstand) can cause panic", said Peter Liese (EPP Germany ). "If there is a need to act, there is no need to panic", he added, referring, without naming her, to Greta Thunberg, who would like the leaders to panic ('I want you to panic', she has repeated over and over again).
On behalf of the Greens/EFA group, which calls, among other things, for the EU's 2030 target to be raised to a 65% reduction in emissions, Bas Eickhout said that this debate was "historic" because, if Parliament decrees a climate emergency next Thursday, we must be up to the task of monitoring it. "Unfortunately, we will go to the COP25 empty-handed", he deplored.
While the world experienced a record level of emissions in 2018 and emissions are expected to decrease by 2020, there remains two years to reverse the situation, declared Emmanuel Bompart (GUE/NGL). "It is the survival of the species that is at stake. We are stating the obvious. Let's act quickly before it's too late". (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)