The European Union is committed to reducing the impact the organisation has on the environment. Hence, it put legislation in place to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030. All EU member states have to undertake actions designed to meet this and other climate targets. According to the European Commission, if everyone worked together and followed the guidelines developed by the organisation, the EU could reduce emissions by 55% by 2030.
Unfortunately, however, some countries have been trying to avoid implementing the recommended changes. In turn, the progress in achieving EU climate goals has been rather slow.
To ensure all countries contribute to making the organisation more sustainable, tougher rules and penalties are needed.
2030 EU Climate Target Plan
The EU is on a path to becoming climate neutral by 2050 and achieving a number of goals by 2030 is the first step during this journey. The main objectives of the 2030 EU Climate Target Plan are:
- Developing a more ambitious and cost-effective roadmap to achieving climate neutrality by 2050
- Creating more green jobs
- Cutting greenhouse gas emissions and using sustainable methods to grow economy
- Encouraging international partners to also cut their emissions and be more sustainable.
Thanks to the 2030 Climate Target Plan, the Commission’s proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 could be achieved. The Target Plan is in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and it offers guidance to EU member states on how to be more responsible when it comes to the impact they have on the Planet.
‘The 2050 net zero target applies at a bloc-wide level. Parliament had attempted to make it a requirement for every member state to achieve this domestically but was overruled in negotiations with EU countries,’ Euractiv reported.
Challenges to meeting the climate goals
In addition to general goals that the EU wants to achieve, the organisation sets national emissions targets for each EU member state. While some have been introducing reforms designed to meet them, others have been reluctant to implement any changes. Euractiv reported that while some EU countries ‘including Poland and Bulgaria, have not set national net zero emissions targets. Others, including Germany and Sweden, aim to reach net zero years before the EU’s 2050 deadline.’
The countries that ignore EU plans to reduce emissions are mainly states where the majority of people still use fossil fuels to heat their homes. There, instead of encouraging people to source their gas and electricity from alternative, green and renewable sources, governments have been looking for ways to dodge meeting EU targets.
That is very problematic because ‘Europe will not be able to reach our climate goals unless every member state contributes,’ said Swedish lawmaker Jessica Polfjard. If some countries refuse to cooperate, the whole organisation will suffer.
The need for tougher penalties and rules
The reason why countries such as Poland or Hungary have not been listening to EU advice regarding reducing their emissions is because they know that nothing will happen if they do so. Currently, there are practically no punishments to countries that do not contribute to the EU’s green agenda.
Should financial penalties be introduced for countries that miss their emissions targets, member states would have a greater motivation to attempt to meet them.
Governments in Central and Eastern Europe worry they will lose the support of the voters if they move away from coal. And yet, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and being more environmentally-friendly is in the interest of all EU member states. For example, ‘large-scale industrial activities are one of the main contributors to air pollution which leads to 412,000 premature deaths in Europe every year,’ the EEB explains. When taking that into consideration, making the EU greener actually means saving lives.
The fight against climate change concerns all humans so the EU, which stands for working together and solidarity, should be at the forefront of this battle. Of course, each EU member state has different capabilities in terms of facing this massive challenge. It is not expected that the smallest, economically weakest countries will have the same input as the strongest ones. Nevertheless, everyone should do what they can to contribute and should try to move away from fossil fuels and heavily-polluting industries.
Countries that ignore their climate targets and do not undertake any actions to be more sustainable, should face consequences and, typically, financial penalties work the best. Without tougher rules, the EU will not be able to achieve negative emissions from 2050 and there will not be a reduction in EU’s net greenhouse gas emissions.