Following the publication of the European Commission’s Communication on the EU’s 2040 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target on Tuesday 6 February (see EUROPE 133344/1), the environmental NGO coalition CAN Europe welcomed the 90% reduction target, but claimed that it was still insufficient.
“Aiming for anything less than net zero by 2040 (...) shows a lack of global leadership and contradicts the EU’s fair share commitment to fulfilling the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement”, summarised a press release.
The NGO states that the Commission has ignored the higher end of the range recommended in its impact assessment (see EUROPE 13337/6) and by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, which went all the way to a 95% reduction.
Furthermore, “recent research by CAN Europe indicates that aligning with a net-zero goal by 2040 now, would yield economic benefits of at least €1 trillion by 2030. By opting for a less ambitious stance, the European Commission is missing a golden opportunity to access these benefits”, explained Chiara Martinelli, Director of CAN Europe. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)