The European policy package to achieve 55% net reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030
→ Okay, let’s start with the basics: what actually is the Fit For 55 package?
In a nutshell the Fit For 55 package (or FF55) is a policy package that aims for a 55% net reduction of CO2 by 2030 of the European Union. The package contains new proposals for policies, several corrections of old policies (revisions) and additions to standing policies (amendments). Those standing policies mainly revolve about how the EU is incentivising, subsidizing and taxing our energy sources such as gas, oil, hydrogen, biofuels and renewables (solar and wind power). The news policies are on a strategy for forests, greening Europe’s maritime space, sustainable fuels and addressing debated issues in the climate nexus such as carbon leakage and fair transition.
→ 55% = actually 53%?
The first thing to highlight is that the EU’s 55% target generally has a small but very significant hook to it. The climate package aims for a “net” reduction of 55%, which means the actual impact of those policies on reducing our emissions will be lower than 55% – probably only around 50-53%. The ‘net’ target includes something called ‘carbon sinks’ in its calculation – meaning areas such as forests that absorb CO2 emissions in Europe. Whilst those areas of course do absorb a part of our emissions, subtracting them from the 55% target means that not only are our active contribution to reduce emissions lower than the EU claims, but the 55% target is in even bigger risk of not sufficiently contributing to staying below our 1.5°C.
As a reminder for us and the EU: the 27 Member States have committed in the Paris Agreement to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius”.
→ Gotcha. And why exactly is this Fit For 55 package relevant to the youth?
As climate change is happening and it is happening right now, severe weather events have increasingly occurred in the Global South but recently within the EU such as a tornado in Czech Republic, heat waves in the Balkans and Southern Europe or flooding in Western Europe. Hence, it is crucial for the EU to reduce its emissions and change its energy system. The Package’s ultimate aim is for the EU to become climate neutral by 2050, and that itself is already relevant, not only to the EU youth, but to the EU population as a whole.
On another point, these policies will impact transport emissions, notably through promoting more renewable fuel options such as electric and hydrogen vehicles. The EU thus targeted one of its most polluting sectors: transport makes up for a quarter of the EU’s total emissions, and road transport is its main contributor.
Nonetheless, it may come at a social price, which will directly impact younger generations: carbon costs may be transferred, through bills, to citizens. For matters such as heating and fuel prices, disparities will be created in vital daily necessities. There are other hurdles for the Package to be fully efficient: it still considers, for example, biomass to be a sustainable source of energy. 18% of it is, however, still made by burning forest wood. The youth must show its involvement and decide for its future.
→ How does the GCE see those proposals as part of the younger generation?
Generation Climate Europe has already taken a clear stance in saying that Fit for 55 does not mean the European Union is fit for 1.5 – meaning with our current efforts we will not achieve the Paris Agreement and stay below 1.5 degrees of global warming. Nevertheless, GCE supports the additions the climate package brings, making another step towards climate neutrality yet, the speed in which the EU is pursuing climate neutrality is insufficient. This climate policies package however leaves some loopholes for the fossil fuel industry and fails to make polluters pay the full cost of pollution – a price that especially future generations will have to compensate for eventually.
Positive developments certainly need to be acknowledged, such as the stricter CO2 targets for 2030 and 2035, phasing-out of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) in 2035 and the inclusion of the maritime emissions in our carbon market (called the Emission Trading System, more info here). In addition, GCE welcomes the focus on energy poverty that the Revision Energy Efficiency Directive brings. The package can have a great impact, especially concerning the Revision Energy Taxation Directive, which would not only apply taxes on aviation and maritime fuels, but also is now based on the energy content. It is crucial that these sectors are decarbonized, as the shipping sector carries around 80% of global trade and causes roughly more than 2% of global emissions and up to 13% alone of the EU’s emissions.
On the other hand, biomass as a part of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) is currently considered sustainable. Energy from biomass is not only generated from wood processing wastes but also the cutting down of young and old forest landscapes merely for the sake of energy production and causes rises in emissions as those trees stop absorbing CO2 and instead are burned. It should however, only be reserved for hard to abate sectors like aviation and maritime, not buildings or road transport. That means meaning the revision of the RED must not consider it as a fully sustainable source of energy.
→ What can we all do to make the Fit for 55 package fit for 1.5?
The definitive policies will first have to be discussed and agreed on by the European Parliament and our government ministers from each EU country, meaning the EU Council. In this next step we can still weigh in on the process, talk to our policy makers and representatives and make our concerns clear! GCE will continue to follow the process and keep you up to date on initiatives and projects to do exactly that: Raise our voice for a fair transition to a European Union fit for 1.5!