International community falls short, EU failing to meet UN's deadline for establishing new climate objectives in accordance with the Paris Agreement
The European Union (EU) is facing a diplomatic challenge as its 27 environment ministers prepare to meet in Brussels on Thursday. The EU is expected to deliver a message of delay at the upcoming climate summit next week, as they are yet to finalize and approve a statement of intent for reducing planet-warming emissions by 2035.
Danish Environment Minister Dan Jørgensen, who is currently chairing negotiations among EU governments, proposed a 'statement of intent' to the United Nations instead of a formal plan. This decision was made due to the EU's inability to agree on a specific target for 2035.
The EU's proposed statement drafts a temporary emissions-cutting target of between 66.3 percent and 72.5 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. However, this is just a promise to eventually deliver a goal, as the EU will miss the U.N.'s end-of-September deadline to submit an official 2035 target.
Disagreements over the 2040 legislation have derailed the plan to establish the 2035 goal. Some countries, such as Poland, have advocated for the EU to submit the range as the formal target, similar to what Brazil has done. On the other hand, another group of countries is fiercely opposed to disconnecting the 2035 target from the 2040 goal.
EU countries agreed to host a debate among national leaders, scheduled for October 23, before agreeing on a 2040 target. However, Denmark postponed a vote scheduled for this week after major countries blocked progress. It is virtually certain that there will be no approval of a formal plan at the ministerial summit.
As a result, the EU will submit its plan to the U.N. before COP30 starts in early November. Failure to submit a target to the United Nations this month would undermine the EU's ability to influence other nations and result in diplomatic embarrassment.
It is unclear when the EU will submit its finalized plan to the U.N., as the timeline remains uncertain. The EU's struggle to agree on a 2035 climate goal is a setback in the global fight against climate change, and it is hoped that a resolution can be reached soon.
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