Dear readers,

While the threat of coronavirus lingers on, the clock has not stopped ticking on climate change. As things stand, global greenhouse gas emissions are not falling quickly enough, and we are all too familiar with the devastating consequences. Soaring temperatures, biodiversity loss, forest fires and extreme weather events are only getting more severe and more frequent.

This first newsletter from the Directorate-General for Climate Action arrives in your inbox the week that the European Commission is upping its game in the fight against climate change. We take seriously our duty to act while we still can, and leave behind the destructive, carbon-heavy economy of the last century. On Wednesday we announced our proposal to reduce the EU’s net greenhouse emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030.

To do this now makes sense in many ways. Compared to the current EU target of at least 40% reductions, it sets us on a smoother path to climate neutrality by 2050 while we still have a choice about how we do it. Setting the bar high now gives certainty to those industries that need time to adapt to new requirements and allows everyone to undergo this transition in a managed way.

Our impact assessment has shown that cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 55% below 1990 levels is achievable by 2030, it can be done in a reasonable way, and is desirable for many reasons. It is realistic, feasible and brings with it significant benefits for all Europeans. It will improve our health and wellbeing, and stimulate sustainable growth of our economy. We have the policy framework, the will to reach it and the funds to support the investment required for success.

Much work lies ahead to get this ambition off the ground. The Commission will now work with the European Parliament and Council on revising the Climate Law to include the new 2030 target alongside our objective to become climate neutral by 2050. By June 2021, the Commission will set out the detailed legislative proposals required to implement the new target. These will include revising and expanding the EU Emissions Trading System; adapting the Effort Sharing Regulation and the framework for land use emissions; reinforcing energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, and strengthening CO₂ standards for road vehicles. The Commission is also inviting the European Parliament and the Council to confirm this 55% target as the EU’s new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, to be submitted to the UNFCCC by the end of the year.

Europe’s strength lies in its diversity, and this means that all people, sectors and regions will have to take different paths to climate neutrality. But this transition needs to be fair for us to succeed. That’s why the Just Transition Fund will support those with a particularly steep path to climb, and help ensure that no one is left behind along the way.

We can and must do this. In fact, we already are doing it. Since 1990, Europe has achieved a 62% growth in its economy while cutting emissions by a quarter. Reaching a net 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 will secure the EU’s position as a global leader in the fight against climate change, and prove to our citizens, to our younger generations, and to the rest of the world that you can both cut emissions and grow your economy sustainably.

Mauro Petriccione
Director-General for Climate Action, European Commission