By Kate Abnett, Inti Landauro and Benoit Van Overstraeten
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -EU climate ministers on Tuesday were considering further weakening their planned 2040 climate target, EU diplomats told Reuters, a last-ditch attempt to pass the goal and avoid going to the U.N. COP30 summit in Brazil empty-handed.
The European Union had hoped to clinch backing from member countries to cut emissions 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels. The upcoming COP30 talks will test the will of major economies to keep fighting climate change in the face of opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump.
After 13 hours of negotiations failed to yield a breakthrough, ministers on Tuesday evening were discussing various options to weaken the 90% emissions-cutting goal. These included buying foreign carbon credits to cover 5% of the target, EU diplomats told Reuters.
That would effectively weaken to 85% the emissions cuts required from European industries. It would make up the rest by paying foreign countries to cut emissions on Europe’s behalf.
The European Commission had originally proposed a 90% emissions-cutting target, with a maximum 3% share of carbon credits.
Countries including France, Italy and Portugal had demanded the 5% flexibility, while others including Poland sought as much as 10%. Spain and the Netherlands were among those opposed to weakening the target further, said the diplomats, who were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
Ministers were debating a raft of other options, the diplomats said – including a clause to allow a further weakening of the 2040 goal by adding more carbon credits in future, plus fresh changes to an upcoming EU carbon market, which Poland and the Czech Republic have opposed.
The EU was making a last-ditch attempt to land a deal before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets other world leaders at the COP30 summit on November 6.
“We have a lot at stake. We are risking our international leadership, which is fundamental in this extraordinarily complicated context,” Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told reporters on Tuesday.
OPPOSING VIEWS
The dilution of the climate target reflects a backlash against Europe’s ambitious climate agenda, from industries and some governments sceptical that it can afford the measures alongside defence and industrial priorities.
“We don’t want to destroy the economy. We don’t want to destroy the climate. We want to save both at the same time,” Polish Deputy Climate Minister Krzysztof Bolesta said.
Support from at least 15 of the 27 EU members is needed to approve the new target on Tuesday. EU diplomats said they expected a tight vote that could depend on one or two countries flipping positions.
Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic and others opposed this as too restrictive for domestic industries struggling with high energy costs, cheaper Chinese imports and U.S. tariffs.
Others, including the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, cited worsening extreme weather and the need to catch up with China in manufacturing green technologies as reasons for ambitious goals.
The EU’s independent climate science advisers have warned that buying foreign CO2 credits would divert much-needed investments away from European industries.
Brussels has also vowed to change other green measures to attempt to win buy-in. These include considering weakening its 2035 combustion engine ban, as requested by Germany and Italy.
Ministers will try first to agree the 2040 goal, and from there come up with an emissions pledge for 2035 – which is what the U.N. asked countries to submit ahead of COP30.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett, Inti Landauro, Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Alexander Smith, Ros Russell and David Gregorio)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.