Dear readers,
It has become a cliché to say that we live in times of change. Rapid, transformational, disruptive and at times potentially catastrophic change. Yet, we are showing that we are changing too, and that we are capable of stepping up our willingness and ability not only to cope with change, but also to drive it, rather than submitting to it. Without triumphalism and without suggesting that we are already where we ought to be, the changes that continue to happen around the global fight against climate change are an example of this.
Last autumn we – finally – saw the beginning of a fundamental shift toward the kind of long-term, mid-century objectives that science has been urging for some time. We began that trend in 2018, when we put our goal of climate neutrality - that is, net zero greenhouse gas emissions - by 2050 on the table. By the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement in December last year, we were witnessing the emergence of what UN Secretary General Antonio Guterrez called “the net zero coalition”.
Since then we have seen not only further growth of this coalition, but also - just as we saw in Europe in 2019 and 2020 - growing attention to the shorter term efforts that we all need to make in this decade - by 2030 - to be on a realistic and effective path to these long term goals.
In Europe, this has materialised in the European Green Deal, a new target of 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and in making these political targets into legally binding commitments under our laws.
Our co-legislators in the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached a provisional agreement on the European Climate Law. This fulfils a key promise of the European Green Deal, making our commitments to reducing our net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030, and achieving climate neutrality by mid-century, legally binding. This was no mean feat, but the hard-won deal will now guide the way for the next thirty years, starting with the Fit for 55 package, a comprehensive set of legislative proposals the European Commission will present in June.
Just as the agreement on the Climate Law sent an important signal to others around the world, so did the return of the US into the fold of global climate diplomacy. On Earth Day, President von der Leyen joined some 40 leaders from all corners of the globe at the Leaders Summit on Climate called by US President Biden. The good news that the US, China and others are now joining us by adopting net-zero targets for 2050 or 2060, as well as the fact that many large emitters are enhancing their 2030 targets, clearly demonstrates a collective will to tackle the climate challenge head-on. This lends growing credibility to all those long-term targets: the climate and energy transformation will take decades, but the journey has already begun, and we have to intensify and front-load our efforts now in order to trace the right path and stick to it. On the road to COP 26 in Glasgow, we must now work together to build on this strong foundation, using all the tools available to us to green our economies and reduce global emissions faster and further.
Finally, as May is just round the corner, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Europe Day. For the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration on Sunday 9 May, the EU institutions will open their ‘virtual’ doors to give citizens a behind-the-scenes look at the EU and what it does. Stay tuned for the upcoming programme and other virtual activities being organised across the EU on our social media channels. Sunday 9 May also marks the official launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe. We invite you all to get involved by putting forward your ideas, discussing others’ proposals or participating in debates on Europe’s future challenges and priorities. Log on, have your say, and help us determine the direction that Europe will take.
Best regards,
Mauro Petriccione
Director-General for Climate Action, European Commission
