Greenhouse gas emissions in the 27 countries of the European Union fell by 3.7 percent in 2019. Compared to the reference year 1990, emissions have already been reduced by 24 percent. This is evident from the new progress report on climate action in the EU on Monday. According to Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for the implementation of the Green Deal, the EU can certainly achieve its ambition to become climate neutral by 2050, but efforts need to be further stepped up in all sectors. The European figures hide major differences per Member State. Belgium misses all its objectives.
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While emissions in the EU-27 fell by 3.7 percent last year, GDP across the EU rose by 1.5 percent. “The European Union shows that it is possible to reduce emissions and grow the economy,” says Timmermans. The European Environment Agency, which published the new report, is also positive. “The decline occurred in a year of economic growth, reflecting the strong and gradual growth of renewable energy in Europe.”
The European Union does not want to emit any net greenhouse gases by 2050. In order to achieve that goal, existing emissions must therefore be gradually reduced. In 2020, emissions should be 20 percent lower than in 1990, but by the end of 2019 – so before the corona pandemic occurred – Europe was already at -24 percent. By 2030, emissions should be reduced by at least 40 percent, but that ambition will be further tightened. If it depends on the Commission, the EU is going for “at least 55 percent” less emissions, but not all Member States are on board yet. This may be the decision taken at the European summit on 10 and 11 December.
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Emissions trading
One of the cornerstones of Europe’s climate policy is its Emissions Trading System (ETS). This sets an upper limit for the number of greenhouse gases that can be emitted and also allows companies to purchase additional emission rights. It is crucial that the permitted emission (the ‘cap’) is reduced step by step, so that the total emission decreases. In the sectors covered by the ETS system, emissions decreased by 9.1 percent in 2019. The energy sector was mainly responsible for this decrease. Emissions fell by almost 15 percent, mainly because coal-fired power stations have been replaced by renewable sources and gas for the production of electricity.
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Industry emissions have fallen by almost 2 percent, while emissions in the aviation sector that could be monitored increased by 1 percent. For the record: only companies operating in Europe are covered by the ETS system.
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For the sectors not covered by the system, such as non-ETS industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and waste, emissions did not show significant changes compared to 2018.
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Belgium lacks targets
According to the Environment Agency, the EU appears to be reaching its 2020 target. The corona crisis has therefore not increased emissions, on the contrary. “There are strong indications that the negative economic growth in 2020 will significantly reduce total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,” it says. But once the economy picks up again, the pandemic’s impact on emissions could soon come to an end. Despite the positive figures for the EU as a whole, twelve individual countries are missing their 2019 emission targets. Belgium is one of them.
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That our country is also missing its target for green energy, was also already known. A total of fourteen member states are in danger of going below the bar, even though the entire EU is on the right track to get 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the end of 2020.
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According to the Environment Agency, there is less good news for the ambition to reduce energy consumption by 20% – the third part of the EU 2020 climate strategy. Two thirds of the EU countries are at risk of missing their national target.
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