At a ministerial meeting on Tuesday, the EU's climate ministers agreed on the EU's mandate for the COP30 climate summit in the city of Belém in Brazil. This was announced by the Minister of Climate and Energy, Lars Aagaard (M).
- Today, the EU has a strong European mandate for COP30. We must leave Belém with a clear path forward to keep the 1.5 goal within reach, says Lars Aagaard.
He is thus referring to the Paris Agreement's goal that the temperature must not rise more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This is to ensure that the world avoids the worst consequences of climate change.
- Climate change is here, and we must act and adapt as soon as possible, says Lars Aagaard.
The conclusions from Tuesday's meeting call for the submission of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that are in line with the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree goal.
At the same time, the EU countries are calling on the largest emitters to "as soon as possible" update their NDCs so that they reflect higher levels of ambition.
However, the EU itself has red ears on this point, after the EU twice this year missed the UN deadline for submitting the EU's own NDC. The NDC can also be described as a target for how much countries will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
The Danish EU presidency had hoped that EU countries would agree on the EU's 2040 climate target in September. This would set the crucial next target for the EU.
With 2040 as the target, it would be largely self-evident how much the EU should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. But that did not happen.
Concerns about job losses and competitiveness led the EU's two largest economies - Germany and France - to stand in the way of the EU being able to submit its 2035 climate target to the UN in September.
In doing so, France and Germany took a surprising step towards industrially-heavy EU countries such as Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, which have long been skeptical of the EU's high climate targets. This is a setback for the EU, which has been a leading player on a global scale in the climate fight for many years.
Despite the messy process leading up to COP30, the EU has nothing to be ashamed of, said Lars Aagaard on the way to Tuesday's meeting.
- Nothing. We are leading when it comes to limiting greenhouse gas emissions. I have seen other countries submit their targets to the climate summit. I would encourage them to aim to have the same ambition as the EU, says Lars Aagaard.
Despite its economic size, the EU is only responsible for 6.0 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. This is far below the world's largest emitters - the USA, China and India. In comparison, China alone is responsible for 30 percent of the world's emissions.
Therefore, the EU - and the climate - are completely dependent on China, the USA and India increasing their efforts. For the EU itself, the next step could be taken at the EU summit this week.
Here, the heads of state and government of the EU countries are expected to express support for the EU Commission's proposal that the 2040 target should be a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gases.
If this happens, the way is expected to be paved for the 2040 target - and the 2035 target, which is crucial for COP30 - to be adopted at a new ministerial meeting on November 4. This will allow the EU to reach its goal with the tip of its fingernails before the climate summit begins in Belém on November 10.
/ritzau/
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