EU sets up Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change and then disregards its advice.

The European Commission unveiled a rushed-through proposal for a 2040 emissions reduction target today that runs counter to the advice of the independent scientific body the EU itself set up. The text controversially includes the possibility to outsource emissions reductions to other countries through the international carbon credit mechanism, which contradicts the scientific advice for the EU to achieve its emissions reductions entirely through domestic reductions. In a report published in June, the advisory board firmly warned the EU against relying on international carbon credits to meet its 2040 target.

In addition, while the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change recommended a 90-95% net domestic greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040, the Commission has opted for the lower end of this target. When taking into account the use of ‘flexibilities’ the EU’s real 2040 target is below even the bare minimum recommended by the advisory board.

The Left rapporteur on the legislation in the European Parliament Catarina Martins (Bloco de Esquerda, Portugal) said: “Achieving our emissions targets is an opportunity for Europe to lead the way, to transform our economies and to put workers and climate first. There is no time to waste by playing with the numbers. But if we lag behind other countries and outsource this transformation to others instead, we will lose out on these benefits for years to come. We must stick to the scientific advice, insist on at least 95% emissions reductions by 2040, and without recourse to buying carbon credits from other countries.” 

The Left’s co-ordinator on the ENVI committee Jonas Sjöstedt (Vänsterpartiet, Sweden) said: ”The Commission is proposing to lower the climate ambitions at a time when Europe is yet again suffering from extreme heat, with temperatures close to 50 degrees. Major wild fires are already raging this summer and people are losing their homes. Vulnerable groups in society are always the ones being hit the hardest. It’s time we read the writing on the wall – we need to do much, much more to combat climate change.”

The Left strongly criticises the Commission for having repeatedly delayed this proposal, which has impacts on our parliamentary scrutiny and our international obligations to submit our climate targets on time.