EU’s 2030 emission targets ‘alarmingly off-track’ from Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal, challenged in court

Environmental activists are calling for a reassessment of the European Union's 2030 emission goals for its member countries.

Last week, non-profit groups Climate Action Network and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) took legal action against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union, calling the EU emission targets inadequate to cut Europe's emissions fast enough to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The case is the first in which the EU courts would "scrutinise the adequacy of the EU’s climate targets".

In August 23, 2023, GLAN and CAN-Europe submitted Request for Internal Review (RIR) of the ‘Annual Emissions Allocations (AEA)’ set by the European Commission for individual member states. The European Commission denied the request on December 14, 2023, leading the two NGOs to file a case against the Commission with the EU Court on February 27, 2024.

Due to the urgency of the climate crisis, the court has granted the case priority status, scheduling it to be heard in 2025.

The AEAs relate to emissions covered by the EU Effort-Sharing Regulation. The regulation sets a national goal for each EU member state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in sectors such as domestic transport (excluding aviation), buildings, agriculture, small industry and waste.

GLAN and CAN-Europe argued that the 2030 emission targets violate EU environmental law because they lack a proper scientific assessment of the necessary global or EU-specific emissions reductions to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

The EU declined to evaluate the feasibility of exceeding its current emissions reduction targets. Additionally, these targets are deemed insufficient, aligning with a disastrous 3°C rise by 2100 if all nations exert similar efforts, according to non-profit organizations.

“European Union needs to ramp up emissions reduction and achieve at least a 65 per cent cut by 2030 if it wants to be a credible actor. The recent acceleration in expanding renewable energies in many countries and related cost reductions provide new momentum for this,” Sven Harmeling, head of climate at CAN Europe, stated.

If successful, it is anticipated that it would prompt the EU and its member states to considerably raise the ambition of their emissions targets to align with EU environmental regulations.