Abstract
The EU asserts itself as a leader when it comes to climate change policy. In this article, we analyze the EU’s environmental action regarding the 7th Environmental Action Programme 2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) 2030 set by the UN. We synthesise the successes and failures of the EU’s environmental policy in the fields of emissions reduction, circular economy, biodiversity, energy policy and agricultural policy, with the goal of understanding where the EU is lacking and what, therefore, needs stronger measures to reach international goals and avoid an environmental catastrophe. We conclude that the EU will not reach most environmental targets set for 2020 and in order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, what changes need to be implemented to ensure stronger environmental measures.
Highlights
The EU asserts itself as a leader when it comes to climate change policy
We conclude that the EU will not reach most environmental targets set for 2020 and in order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, what changes need to be implemented to ensure stronger environmental measures
The EU asserts itself as a leader when it comes to climate change policy and environmental protection
Summary
The EU asserts itself as a leader when it comes to climate change policy and environmental protection. Since the 1980s, it has been the driving force of environmental policy between Member States and outside its borders, within international agreements. According to the UN, the goals set in the Paris Agreement are not ambitious enough.[2] The last IPCC report states that global temperatures will keep rising.[3] Another report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (hereinafter, IPBES) alerts to the possibility of the extinction of 1 million species in the coming decades.[4] In 2019, the EU reached its overshoot day, that is: the day when we run out of natural resources for the year and start living off credit, earlier than ever, May 10th.[5] According to the latest report on the 7th Environmental Programme for the EU 2020, the Union will only reach 7 out of 29 goals.[6]
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