A few days before the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, the European Union (EU) reached an important agreement on its climate goals. Environment ministers have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040. This ambitious plan, pushed by the European Commission, will be highlighted at the summit.
The EU aims to reduce emissions by 66.25% to 72.5% by 2035, using 1990 levels as a baseline. This commitment is a vital step in the global fight against climate change.
The 2015 Paris Agreement brought world leaders together to agree on keeping the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius. They also promised to update their climate goals every five years. Unfortunately, many, including the EU and large emitters like China, missed the deadline for these updates.
Coal, gas, and oil consumption continue to drive severe climate changes, leading to more droughts, floods, storms, and heatwaves.
As COP30 begins, only a little over a third of the 195 countries have presented their climate plans. Together, they are responsible for more than 60% of global emissions, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI). UN Secretary-General António Guterres has noted that if current plans are enacted, the predicted temperature increase could fall from 2.6 degrees Celsius to 2.3 degrees. However, he warns that a climate collapse is still possible without more ambitious actions.
Melanie Robinson, a director at WRI, acknowledges that progress in the energy transition is happening. Investments in solar energy and electric vehicles are steps in the right direction, but the pace is not fast enough. Robinson emphasizes the need for leaders to accelerate their efforts to meet the critical goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The path forward is clear: countries must reaffirm their commitment to this target while developing stronger strategies for emission reductions. The clock is ticking, and action is essential.
For more in-depth information on global climate actions and the impact of these negotiations, you can visit the World Resources Institute.
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Brazil,Climate goals,COP30,European Union,greenhouse gas emissions,Paris Agreement
