Latest news with #UNCOP30
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
EU says 'well on track' to reach 2030 climate targets
The European Union said it is on track to reach its 2030 climate targets, but uncertainty remains over the bloc's ambitions to cut greenhouse gas emissions much further by 2040. The European Commission expects emissions to fall by 54% by 2030 compared to 1990, very close to its 55%, it said, after analysing member states' energy and climate plans for the coming years. "Emissions are down 37% since 1990, while the economy has grown nearly 70% - proving climate action and growth go hand in hand. Now we must build on this momentum," said the EU's climate chief, Wopke Hoekstra. The EU also pointed to disparities between member states and highlighted the problems of protecting forests and carbon storage. Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency has said the country has gone backwards in its attempts to achieve its greenhouse gas emissions targets. The latest greenhouse gas emissions projections from the EPA said emissions could fall by up to 23% by 2030 if every climate policy and measures currently planned by the Government is fully implemented on time. The European Commission has singled out Belgium, Estonia and Poland, which have not submitted their energy and climate plans, urging them to "do so without delay". "We have reasons to be proud, although we cannot be satisfied. We've come a long way, but we're not where we need to be yet," said energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen. The EU has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and Brussels wants to agree on an interim target for 2040 - with the commission seeking to cut emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels. But negotiations are stalling between EU countries on the 2040 target, and the commission has shied away from formally proposing the 90% cut to member states. For some countries like the Czech Republic and Italy, the target is unrealistic. The bloc has this year focused on ramping up European businesses' competitiveness against fierce competition in the United States and China. The commission is considering greater flexibility in its calculations for 2040, including through the purchase of carbon credits on international markets. The EU's executive arm insists it will submit a formal proposal before the summer and stresses that the bloc will be ready for the next UN COP30 climate conference, which will be held in November in the Amazonian city of Belem in Brazil. The delays have raised concerns among environmental groups, which have called for Europe to take the lead on tackling climate change after US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement after he returned to the White House in January. The organisations are also fearful of a wholesale unravelling of the European Green Deal, a landmark package of measures that defined Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's first term in office but has since come increasingly under fire.
Zawya
26-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
COP30 president vows to defend global climate fight
Berlin: Brazil's UN COP30 president on Tuesday said that this year's summit would aim to defend climate action by governments against "serious" geopolitical challenges, while also pushing the private sector to contribute more to the fight. Andre Correa do Lago, a veteran climate diplomat tapped to lead the November conference, also vowed to campaign for greater climate funding for poorer nations in a closely-watched speech that did not mention fossil fuels. COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belem marks a decade since the signing of the Paris Agreement, but follows the second US withdrawal from the landmark pact and other global efforts to address climate change. There are concerns that climate change is being crowded out of the global agenda by national security and economic pressures. A finance deal for developing nations brokered at the last COP in Azerbaijan was slammed as inadequate, while other global conservation efforts have stalled, including negotiations towards a plastic treaty. Corporations, too, are rolling back pledges to cut their carbon footprints. Correa do Lago said that November's COP30 would be an opportunity to advance and defend the climate agreements forged through years of cooperation and negotiation to tackle this "shared global crisis". "In a time of serious geopolitical, social, economic and environmental challenges... we must reinforce multilateralism," he told the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the first major COP30-related meeting of the year. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, without naming any countries, told attendees that the Paris accord was "coming under pressure once again". "Anyone who dismisses climate action in these turbulent times as being expensive, onerous or superfluous, cannot count," she said. 'Join forces' Correa do Lago said governments "must do their part in this global effort" by unveiling stronger 2030 targets for cutting domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Most countries -- including major emitters China, Europe, and India -- missed the deadline in February to submit these national climate plans. But businesses also have "a crucial role to play" and must "contribute significantly" in shifting the global economy to a low-carbon future, he said. The private sector would be essential to raise the $1.3 trillion a year in external finance that developing nations will need by 2035 to meet their climate needs, Correa do Lago added. He also urged nations to "join forces" to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the safer limit of the Paris accord. But the COP30 president made no mention of fossil fuels, the key driver of global warming, despite nations agreeing in 2023 to transition away from oil, coal and gas. Critics say this pledge has not been honoured, and emissions of heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels hit fresh highs in 2024. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( The Peninsula Newspaper
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
COP30 president vows to defend global climate fight
Brazil's UN COP30 president on Tuesday said that this year's summit would aim to defend climate action by governments against "serious" geopolitical challenges, while also pushing the private sector to contribute more to the fight. Andre Correa do Lago, a veteran climate diplomat tapped to lead the November conference, also vowed to campaign for greater climate funding for poorer nations in a closely-watched speech that did not mention fossil fuels. COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belem marks a decade since the signing of the Paris Agreement, but follows the second US withdrawal from the landmark pact and other global efforts to address climate change. There are concerns that climate change is being crowded out of the global agenda by national security and economic pressures. A finance deal for developing nations brokered at the last COP in Azerbaijan was slammed as inadequate, while other global conservation efforts have stalled, including negotiations towards a plastic treaty. Corporations, too, are rolling back pledges to cut their carbon footprints. Correa do Lago said that November's COP30 would be an opportunity to advance and defend the climate agreements forged through years of cooperation and negotiation to tackle this "shared global crisis". "In a time of serious geopolitical, social, economic and environmental challenges... we must reinforce multilateralism," he told the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the first major COP30-related meeting of the year. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, without naming any countries, told attendees that the Paris accord was "coming under pressure once again". "Anyone who dismisses climate action in these turbulent times as being expensive, onerous or superfluous, cannot count," she said. - 'Join forces' - Correa do Lago said governments "must do their part in this global effort" by unveiling stronger 2030 targets for cutting domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Most countries -- including major emitters China, Europe, and India -- missed the deadline in February to submit these national climate plans. But businesses also have "a crucial role to play" and must "contribute significantly" in shifting the global economy to a low-carbon future, he said. The private sector would be essential to raise the $1.3 trillion a year in external finance that developing nations will need by 2035 to meet their climate needs, Correa do Lago added. He also urged nations to "join forces" to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the safer limit of the Paris accord. But the COP30 president made no mention of fossil fuels, the key driver of global warming, despite nations agreeing in 2023 to transition away from oil, coal and gas. Critics say this pledge has not been honoured, and emissions of heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels hit fresh highs in 2024. burs-np/bc
