An ambitious Climate Law in the EU

The Greens/EFA Group was pushing for a 65% emission reductions target, but in the European Parliament there was only a majority to go for a 60% reduction. However, even this is much better than that the EU governments’ position which is to stick to a reduction of only 55%. On top of it, this 55% isn’t real, it is based on accounting tricks.

To achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement the national pledges are not enough and the EU needs a more ambitious target for reducing emissions. In Germany, the Constitutional Court recently ruled that the government’s promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% (the same as in the EU law) was actually a violation of the rights and freedoms of the young people who took the case,  because it delays the real action needed to reach the Paris Agreement targets.

To deliver the climate ambition that is needed now more than ever, we need a system that monitors our progress and oversees our efforts in the crucial years ahead of us as we fight to save our Planet. Just as the budget of a household or a state needs to be carefully planned and assessed month by month, year by year, so does our greenhouse gas emission level, otherwise bold commitments will always remain empty promises. This is why we want to introduce a “Greenhouse Gas Budget”.

We also need to establish an independent scientific committee, or “European Climate Council” to oversee the EU’s progress towards climate neutrality, to monitor whether are keeping up with our commitments regarding emission reduction, and to supervise the EU’s greenhouse gas budget. The Climate Council should assess climate policy and determine what the damage to the climate will be if ambitious action is not taken in time.