Media Statement: EU’s announcement for Paris climate deal fails to address loopholes that could slash announced target in half

Brussels, 6 March 2015. Today, EU’s environment ministers presented the EU’s contribution to the international climate agreement to be finalized in Paris by the end of the year. Carbon Market Watch criticises the official contribution for the lack of detail and calls on ministers to specify measures that avoid that hot air and emission removals from forests undermine the 40% domestic emissions reduction target.

Media statement: EU leaders broker climate deal at expense of climate integrity and tax payers

24 October 2014, Brussels. Today’s decision on a 40% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 is contaminated by excess emission allowances from the current system that will water down the real-world reduction to 31%. EU leaders agreed on new trading options that avoid necessary mitigation measures in important sectors such as transport and buildings. At the same time they agreed on subsidies to manufacturing industries in the form of free pollution permits that could reach up to €300 billion between 2021-2030.

Media advisory: Integrity of Europe’s 2030 climate target in limbo over choice of flexibility options

Scroll down for French and German Brussels, 20 October. This week EU Heads of State are expected to agree on new headline targets for the EU’s 2030 climate and energy framework, including a target to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 within the EU’s territory. Flexibility options to make …

4 billion tonnes of hot air in the EU could turn the proposed 40% climate target into merely 26%

On 23 and 24 October 2014, EU’s Heads of State will determine Europe’s future action to avoid dangerous global temperature rise. At this important date, it is expected that they will propose to reduce Europe’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. Of course, this proposed target is not nearly enough …

Draft EU Council conclusions propose taxpayers continue subsidising industry’s pollution to avoid a problem that doesn’t exist.

In early September, the council conclusions on the 2030 climate and energy framework were leaked. Worryingly, the draft text stated that the current practice of giving free pollution permits to heavy emitters needs to be maintained while “dynamically” allocating these permits based on actual production levels. A rebuttal by Carbon Market Watch shows that this approach could result in EU taxpayers paying industry an extra €130 billion worth of free emission allowances, while the public have never been presented proof that carbon leakage actually exists.