In a report published on Tuesday 24 October, the NGO coalitions Climate Action Network Europe and Together for 1.5 expressed serious concerns about the current state of the European Union’s draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).
Although progress has been made in some areas of the energy and climate transition, many EU countries are still a long way from achieving the targets set by the Paris Agreement. A major concern is that several countries are not even meeting the EU’s minimum climate and energy requirements for 2030. These include Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Italy and the Netherlands, which are failing to meet their emissions reduction targets, jeopardising the EU’s objective of a 55% net reduction in emissions by 2030.
In addition, the EU’s overall climate ambitions lag behind the urgency of the climate crisis. The NGOs are calling for significant emissions reductions in the short term, aiming for a reduction of at least 65% in gross emissions by 2030 to help limit warming to 1.5°C.
The NGOs are urging the European Commission to ensure that climate action on the ground is a genuine response to the climate crisis.
The report also highlights the under-exploitation of the potential of energy saving measures by many Member States, thereby delaying the achievement of the EU’s energy efficiency objectives. Insufficient contributions to renewable energy and the persistence of coal in some countries are also a source of concern.
EU countries have until June 2024 to submit their final NECPs. The European Commission will have to present its recommendations for bringing these plans into line with EU climate and energy legislation by December 2023.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/9ab (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)