EU agrees to raise its_CO2 emissions absorption target for forests

The measure that is part of the package to reduce emissions until 2030 contemplates policies to expand forests, swamps and other “sinks” that absorb_CO2

The Council (the countries of the European Union) and the European Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement to increase the block target of absorbing carbon dioxide (_CO2) emissions from forests and other natural sinks.

Under this pact reached last night, the EU’s 2030 target for the net elimination of greenhouse gases (GHG) in that sector will be set at 310 million tonnes of CO equivalent.₂, which is around 15% more than at present, the Council and Parliament said in separate communiqués, which will have to formally approve the agreement before the new law can enter into force.

The aim of the rules on land use, land-use change and forestry is to progressively increase removals and reduce emissions in order to reach the EU-wide target.

“The agreement will contribute to better protection and management of land and forests across the EU and fully exploit the potential for emission elimination,” said Czech Environment Minister Marian Jurecka, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

“We now have a more ambitious target and safeguards, such as better data and stricter reporting requirements, more transparency and a review by 2025,” added the negotiator for the European Parliament, the Finnish Ville Niinistö.

“For the first time, this legislation considers biodiversity and the climate crisis as a whole and member states will also need to take into account the principle of not causing significant harm.”

The current regulations will be in force until 2025

Under the interim agreement, the current rules according to which emissions do not exceed removals (the “no debit rule”) will continue to apply until 2025, while for the period 2026-2030, in which removals must exceed emissions, each member state will have a binding linear target for 2030.

Package of measures to reduce carbon emissions

This is the third legislative part of the “Fit for 55” package to decarbonize the EU in 2050 that is approved, after the agreement reached two days ago on stricter emission reduction targets for member states in national and road maritime transport, buildings, agriculture, waste and small industries and the one achieved at the end of October to ban the sale of new cars and vans with combustion engines from 2035.

Land-use change

With this revision of the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forest Regulation, the EU’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target is raised to 57%.

Thus, in addition to the national objectives for 2030, this latest agreement establishes a commitment for each member state to reach a sum of net greenhouse gas emissions and removals for the entire period from 2026 to 2029 (‘the 2026-2029 budget’). The budget shall be based on a trajectory of indicative annual values for removals and emissions.

Another novelty of the agreement is that it maintains the possibility of buying and selling removal units between member states and using surplus annual emission allocations under the effort sharing regulation to achieve the objectives.

It also maintains general flexibility to support those member states that have difficulties in meeting their targets due to natural causes (such as forest fires, pests and the effects of climate change and organic soils on emissions), provided that the Union as a whole meets its 2030 target.

The flexibility mechanism is tightened

Moreover, the pact tightens the criteria for assessing whether the objective is being met at EU level and, consequently, whether the flexibility mechanism can be used, but up to a fixed limit, provided that, among other conditions, they submit evidence to the Commission following a well-defined methodology.

The agreement also introduces a governance mechanism in the Regulation, including measures to be taken if a member state fails to meet its national target in the second period.

The Commission will present a report within six months of the first comprehensive stocktake under the Paris Agreement (to be carried out in 2023) on the inclusion of non-CO greenhouse gas emissions₂ of agriculture in the scope of regulation and setting targets for the land use sector beyond 2030.

Source: Navarra News