European heavy industry can no longer dodge climate action

by Femke de JongEU carbon marketPosted on Comments are Disabled

European manufacturing sector needs an urgent transformation in order to dramatically reduce its emissions and do its part to fight climate change. How can we guarantee a prosperous, climate-friendly European industrial base that provides jobs and brings societal benefits? This week is EU Industry Week, with the future of European manufacturing sector topping the agenda …

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Closing the loopholes in the EU’s centerpiece climate law

by Femke de JongEffort Sharing RegulationPosted on Comments are Disabled

This piece was first published on Euractiv on 9 October 2017 EU member states can enable the upscaling of good examples of local climate action by closing loopholes in the Effort Sharing Regulation, a centerpiece of the EU’s climate policy, write Claire Roumet and Femke de Jong. This week, the EU environment ministers will adopt …

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A fair EU carbon market: but for whom?

by Femke de JongEU carbon marketPosted on Comments are Disabled

This article was first published on Euractiv on 27 June 2017 Amid calls from heavy industry to get more free pollution permits in the name of a ‘fair’ EU carbon market, Europe’s workers, taxpayers, and the climate must not be forgotten in the system’s design reform, writes Femke de Jong. Today, the representatives of EU …

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Who is still pursuing the Paris climate goals in Europe?

by Femke de JongEffort Sharing RegulationPosted on Comments are Disabled

This article was first published on Euractiv on 29 May 2017 As the negotiations on Europe’s key climate policies draw to an end, it is time to take stock and ask if Europe, a self-proclaimed climate leader, is really delivering on its international commitments, writes Femke De Jong. Two months ago we released a ranking showing Sweden, …

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The cost of climate inaction in the agricultural sector

by Femke de JongEffort Sharing Regulation, Land use and forestryPosted on Comments are Disabled

This week key policymakers of the European Parliament discuss the EU’s largest climate instrument. Ahead of the debate, five organizations expose how a loophole in the law could significantly increase the costs of post-2030 climate efforts by delaying the required emission reductions in the agriculture sector. The Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) covers around 60% of …

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EU’s highest court rebuffs industry claim for more pollution freebies

by Femke de JongEU carbon marketPosted on Comments are Disabled

Earlier this month, the EU Court of Justice ruled against a case by eight Swedish heavy industry operators that were asking for more free pollution permits under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) than they currently get. The EU ETS -meant to cut pollution- has so far provided industry a €24 billion pollution payout, a bill that taxpayers are picking up as governments forego scarce public money.

Sweden and France – the new European climate leaders?

by Femke de JongEU carbon marketPosted on Comments are Disabled

After the UK referendum on the EU, some people have started to voice concerns that a “Brexit” would leave a vacuum in the EU climate policy as the UK is generally perceived as a climate leader. Fortunately, certain other countries, including France and Sweden, have recently stepped up their efforts to increase the EU’s climate …

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Debunking steel myths on the EU’s carbon market

by Femke de JongEU carbon marketPosted on Comments are Disabled

In the past few months, carbon intensive industries have ratcheted up their efforts to convince policymakers that ‘real’ data should be used to assess how many free pollution permits to give out under the EU’s carbon market rules. Carbon Market Watch also values the use of accurate, up-to-date information in the debate on the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) reform. We therefore checked two recent claims by the industry.