EU national climate plans well below par, study reveals

(EurActiv, 16 May 2019) Of the 28 draft national energy and climate plans submitted by EU member states, not a single one is on a pathway to reach net-zero emission by 2050, according to a fresh analysis published on Thursday (16 May).

Spain is the only EU country holding its head above water, scoring 52% across a range of indicators comprising the overall carbon reduction goal, the level of detail of proposed policy measures and the inclusiveness of the drafting process.

All the other plans score below 50%, according to the study commissioned by the European Climate Foundation and conducted by the Ecologic Institute in Germany and Climact, a Belgium-based engineering consultancy.

After Spain, France comes second, with 47%, followed by Greece (44%) and Sweden (43%). The Slovenian climate plan comes in last with a score of 3%, while Slovakia (12%) and Germany (12%) hardly fare better. The average score for the EU as a whole is 29%.

While the analysis shows that countries are taking steps towards climate action by 2030, “they do not yet live up to the ambitions set by EU legislators and the Paris Agreement,” the study says.

“Our work shows that the EU member states are clearly not in line with a net-zero 2050 trajectory or any of the scientific findings of the IPCC 1.5C Report,” said Julien Pestiaux of Climact, one of the authors of the study.

“With a few notable exceptions, they also show low ambition when it comes to concretely reaching their renewables and energy efficiency targets and fall short of properly supporting the climate and energy transition required in Europe,” Pestiaux said.

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EurActiv, 16 May 2019: EU national climate plans well below par, study reveals