EU can’t relax its_CO2 targets after ‘alarming’ climate report

The European Commission proposed a year ago that the reduction of CO2 in the EU in 2040 should be at least 90% compared to 1990

The major environmental organisations Greenpeace and WWF called for the EU to set an ambitious climate target for 2040, after the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) published an “alarming” report revealing that 2024 was the warmest year in Europe since records began. “The EU must urgently update its climate targets to reflect scientific reality and end new fossil fuel projects as a first step towards their total phase-out,” Greenpeace said in a statement. The European Commission proposed a year ago that the reduction of CO₂ in the EU in 2040 should be at least 90% compared to 1990, in line with the trajectory of 55% in 2030 and with the scientific consensus. The EU executive had planned to present this target to member states and the European Parliament in the first quarter of 2025, but Brussels has opened the door to legally setting a less ambitious target. The Commission is now working with the idea of being able to reach an agreement with the European Parliament and EU countries “before the summer”, but it does not guarantee that the level of ambition of 90% will be maintained.

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