Climate crisis in sight: EU climate target 2040 at risk despite heated debates!

Climate crisis in sight: EU climate target 2040 at risk despite heated debates!

In recent weeks, the ambitious EU climate target of -90% greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 has been increasingly discussed. Criticism comes from various corners, particularly from some member states who are calling for the climate targets to be weakened. Loud Econews Greenpeace warned against using the weakening economy as an excuse to water down climate targets and emphasized that every tenth of a degree increase in global temperatures has various negative effects on the economy.

Particularly worrying is the possible trading of dangerous greenhouse gas certificates, which is seen as a way to circumvent climate targets. This would allow member states to meet their emissions reduction targets with offsets from other countries, as the EU Commission is proposing. Despite this flexibility, which allows up to 3% of the target to be offset by international climate certificates from non-EU countries from 2036, skeptics remain. Experts warn of real risks that certificates may not lead to the desired emission reductions.

Political controversy and responsibility

Member states such as France are calling for a shift in the climate target, further fueling the debate about the level of complexity and ambition. Greenpeace has praised Chancellor Stocker for his commitment to climate neutrality in 2040 in Austria and is calling on Climate Minister Totschnig to take similar steps. Despite heterogeneous opinions within the EU, it is clear that the decisive step towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires compliance with the 90% target for 2040 as a binding intermediate step ZDF Today reported.

The EU Commission's proposals, which are also viewed critically by experts, stipulate that, according to the current plans, at least 87% of the emissions reduction should take place within the EU. However, it remains to be seen how the agreements between member states can be implemented in concrete terms in order to avoid economic burdens.

The path to climate neutrality

With the upcoming climate conference in Brazil in November, the EU plans to present its comprehensive climate plan by September. The urgency of the situation is underlined by the fact that current data shows the EU is likely to miss its interim target of -55% reduction by 2030. Oliver Geden, an expert at the Science and Politics Foundation, emphasizes that the next five years are crucial for the successful implementation of the climate goals.

For a successful transformation, planning security is required from business and research. While some actors such as the German Association of Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) criticize the climate target as too high and potentially harmful for the economy, the Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI) sees flexibility and the possibility of taking international measures into account as a pragmatic solution. However, it remains to be seen how the entire negotiations will develop, as the proposals still require the approval of the European Parliament and the Member States.