EU agrees on tougher climate goals for 2030

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU will cut carbon emissions to 55% of 1990 levels within a decade.

An environmental activist walks inside a hot air balloon

The agreement to cut emissions followed all-night talks at the EU summit

EU leaders agreed on Friday to set an ambitious target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030.

The deal came after more than 10 hours of negotiations late Thursday into Friday morning. The increase from an earlier reduction target of 40% was proposed by the European Commission in September, but was met with resistance in some EU states.

EU greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 24% between 1990 and 2019, according to the Commission. The economy, meanwhile, grew around 60% during the same period.

The new plan will require major overhauls of the energy and transport sectors as well as a huge push to renovate and retrofit buildings to make them energy-efficient and able to charge electric vehicles.

Massive investments will be needed to help those countries with a higher reliance on fossil fuel to manage the transition, EU officials have said.

Announcing the plan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She said it "puts us on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050."

"Great way to celebrate the first anniversary of our #EUGreenDeal!" she tweeted.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the deal was a "very, very important result." She added, "It was worth staying up all night for that."

In a separate statement, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the Berlin government had "worked hard over the past few months" to try to seal the deal.

Coal-heavy countries opposed the plan

Poland, backed by other coal-dependent central European countries, had been holding out for guarantees on funding to pay for a clean energy transition. Those states said it was unfair that all member states should commit to the same goal without considering their respective energy dependencies.

To win their approval, member states agreed that the new target should be delivered collectively.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country had achieved its goals, securing additional cash from the EU modernization fund.

The European Parliament, which itself is pushing for a slightly higher target, still has to approve the Commission's new emissions goal.

Both targets, however, are lower than those proposed by the UK, which is set to leave the EU's single market and customs union at the end of the month and has vowed that environmental standards will not suffer as a result.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that he wants the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030.

World leaders agreed five years ago in Paris to keep the global warming increase to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. Under the Paris climate agreement, countries are required to submit updated climate targets by the end of this year.

'We're running out of time' on climate change

Time is running out

The protesters' symbol was a clock to signal to those meeting at the United Nations climate change conference (COP24) that time is running out if the world is to limit global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Negotiations at the COP have been tough, with disagreements on financing for developing countries and on how states should report their emissions cuts.
'We're running out of time' on climate change

Sending up Bolsonaro

Some marchers made giant puppets, including of Brazil's president elect, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to protest the leader's climate policies. Bolsonaro has threatened to follow US President Donald Trump and withdraw his country from the Paris climate agreement. Bolsonaro has also talked about loosening protections for the Amazon rainforest — the Earth's green lungs.
'We're running out of time' on climate change

Air pollution woes

About seven million people worldwide die prematurely due to air pollution every year. Poland's air quality is particularly bad because of the country's dependence on coal for electricity and heating. Some protesters decorated pollution masks to make a statement about Poland's coal policy. During the COP, the country's president said there was no intention to phase out coal.
'We're running out of time' on climate change

'Don't nuke the climate'

Some groups, like the International Atomic Energy Agency, are promoting nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. It would provide a stable and greenhouse gas-emission-free energy source, says the IAEA. A number of protesters turned up to advocate against nuclear, because there is no good way to deal with the radioactive waste it produces and because it is potentially unsafe, they say.
'We're running out of time' on climate change

A sustainable Christmas

Sustaina Claus arrived at the climate march with his Christmas elves to preach the message of sustainability. The environmental activist says we need to stop overconsumption if we are to stop climate change and protect the planet's resources. Instead of buying mountains of gifts for your loved ones at Christmas, "you should give the gift of you."
'We're running out of time' on climate change

Activists held at the border

NGOs said a number of environmental campaigners were refused entry at the Polish border or deported from the country, having been deemed a "threat" to national security. Climate Action Network, an umbrella group of climate groups, called the actions worrying. A spokeswoman for Poland's border guards said she could not say whether the refusals were connected to the COP, according to Reuters.
'We're running out of time' on climate change

Cycling for the climate

Climate activist Lander Wantens cycled over 1,000 kilometers from Belgium to Katowice for the protest and to deliver a message to delegates to do more to combat climate change. He hopes that if the negotiators see "four guys from Belgium are crazy enough to bike to the climate summit in Poland in winter, maybe that's a signal that they have to work on an ambitious climate agreement."

Author: Jennifer Collins, Louise Osborne