EU to Propose 90% Emissions-Reduction Target for 2040

The new target will be part of an amendment to the European Climate Law, which provides a framework to achieve the bloc’s carbon neutrality by 2050 target.

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The European Union’s executive is expected to propose a law to set a new interim emissions-reduction target at 90% by 2040, a move that places the bloc a step closer to its decarbonization goal.

The new target will be included in an amendment to the European Climate Law, which provides a framework to achieve the bloc’s legally binding target of reaching carbon neutrality by mid-century. The bloc has already pledged to cut net emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.

The plan is part of the European Commission’s Work Programme for 2025, which focuses on competitiveness, defense and simplifications of administrative procedures and implementation of EU rules.

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For the Greens, this simplification may be used as “an excuse to strip away elements of the Green Deal and social progress.”

“Simplification as a tool to make companies’ and peoples’ lives easier can be beneficial but not as a byword for stripping away the Green Deal and social progress,” said Terry Reintke, President of the Greens/European Free Alliance Group.

The group also criticized the absence of any clear measures aimed at protecting nature, decarbonizing the transportation sector, and reducing emissions. The Commission on Wednesday pledged to put forward a “strategic framework” for the production and distribution of sustainable transport fuels.

Missed Deadline

182 countries missed a Monday deadline to submit new national climate plans to the UN, including major polluters like China, India, and the EU.

Under the Paris Agreement, each country must submit its own emissions reduction plan, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), every five years. Only three of the world’s 10 largest economies – Brazil, the UK, and the US – submitted their updated NDCs in time, though Canada has since submitted a plan.

None of the national plans submitted so far is compatible with the 1.5C goal, according to Climate Action Tracker.

The US submitted its NDC 3.0 in December, prior to President Trump’s inauguration. Trump has since exited the Paris Agreement, raising fears of setbacks.

Off Track

Virtually every country adopted a global warming target by signing the Paris Agreement, aiming to limit global warming to below 1.5C. However, current pledges put the world on track for a 2.6-3.1C temperature increase this century.