On the eve of the UN climate summit in Brazil, the EU climate ministers reached an agreement on a 2040 climate target on Wednesday morning. The EU member states have agreed to the European Commission’s proposal to reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2040 compared to 1990.
However, the agreement has been weakened in several areas. The introduction of the contested carbon tax on heating and transport will be postponed for a year, and there will be greater scope to purchase carbon credits outside the EU. These carbon credits abroad must be of “high quality” according to the European Commission, but critics fear a lack of transparency.
ETS2
The expansion of the carbon market, the so-called carbon tax for transport and buildings, known in the jargon as ETS2, will be postponed by one year, from 2027 to 2028. The concrete consequence will be higher costs for those who heat with gas or fuel oil and/or drive a fossil fuel-powered car.
The proceeds from this levy should be returned to the Member States, who can use them to help their citizens switch, for example, to electric cars or heat pumps.
ETS2 is a pillar of the European Green Deal and was initially scheduled to be introduced in 2027, but simulations show the tax could cost a family between €250 and €400 per year. Hence, the request to postpone the measure for a year.
Belgium abstained
By 2040, the European Union must emit 90% fewer greenhouse gases than in 1990. Still, Belgium, along with Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, abstained from this vote.
They fear that an overly ambitious target could harm their own industry. According to Essenscia, the mouthpiece for the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, “it will lead to deindustrialisation rather than decarbonisation.”
“The chemical industry has been investing heavily for decades to reduce its own emissions drastically,” explains Essenscia’s managing director Yves Verschueren.
“Voting for unrealistic targets without concrete measures to protect the international competitiveness of the industry will not help to reduce CO2 emissions effectively.” Belgium’s abstention from the discussion is a strong signal, according to Essenscia.
Climate neutrality by 2050
The EU can now present a clear climate goal at the climate conference in Belém, Brazil, which begins tomorrow. The larger long-term goal remains climate neutrality by 2050.
The climate summit in Belém must become the tipping point at which countries actually increase their ambition for emission reductions. Every country must now submit national targets for 2035 with concrete, measurable steps. It’s a disgrace that Europe hasn’t even submitted a plan.
Belém is the last chance to make international climate action credible. If this summit is again bogged down in diplomatic caution, not only will the 1.5°C target be lost, but so will confidence that global cooperation can make a difference.
