EU’s Climate Law formalises net zero by 2050 pledge

All of the bloc’s member states are thus collectively obliged to ensure their economies reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by mid-century. The bloc’s Climate Law aims to: 

The European Commission (EC) has also proposed establishing a 2030–2050 EU-wide trajectory for reducing emissions to measure progress and provide stability for businesses, citizens and public authorities. In the nearer term, policymakers have said they’ll set a revised 2030 target for GHG reductions – pending the outcome of a new impact assessment. 

‘The Climate Law is the legal translation of our political commitment and sets us irreversibly on the path to a more sustainable future,’ said EC President Ursula von der Leyen. ‘It is the heart of the European Green Deal. It offers predictability and transparency for European industry and investors. And it gives direction to our green growth strategy and guarantees that the transition will be gradual and fair.’ 

However, youth climate activists and EU ministers have voiced their discontent with the sluggish pace of short-term policy action. In a letter to Frans Timmermans, the chief of the bloc’s Green Deal programme, a dozen member states called on the EC to present a plan for an increased 2030 EU climate target as soon as possible – and by June this year at the latest. 

The Paris Agreement requires all signatory countries to submit enhanced emission reduction targets, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), for 2030 ahead of November’s COP26 conference in Glasgow. But under the EU’s new Climate Law, the target would not be increased until September, leaving member states with little time to reach an agreement on its implementation. 

‘With a timely enhanced NDC, the EU can lead by example and contribute to creating the international momentum needed for all parties to scale up their ambition,’ reads the letter. ‘For this to happen, we need sufficient time to agree upon an increased 2030 target well ahead of COP26.’ 

A group of 34 youth climate activists, including Greta Thunberg, published an open letter of their own on 4 March, stating that a net zero by 2050 target amounts to ‘surrender’. ‘We don’t just need goals for 2030 or 2050,’ the activists wrote. ‘We, above all, need them for 2020 and every following month and year to come.’