The Commission proposes raising the 2030 climate target to at least 55%

On 17 September 2020 the European Commission presented the 2030 Climate Target Plan (COM(2020) 562), in which it proposes raising the EU greenhouse gas emission reduction target to at least 55% net relative to 1990. The previous target was 40%. The change is to be written into the European climate law, and along with it most EU energy and climate rules will be revised.

What the Commission proposes

The plan is based on an impact assessment that examined variants from 50 to 55%. The Commission chose 55% net, which means that CO₂ absorption by forests and soils is also counted towards the result. A proposal to amend the climate law, containing the new target, accompanied the communication.

The document gives indications of how to change the energy mix: the share of renewable energy clearly rises, and the pathway includes a faster pace of energy efficiency improvement and a rapid move away from coal. The Commission announced that by June 2021 it would present proposals for changes to the emissions trading system, the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the rules on the effort sharing of reductions in non-ETS sectors.

Significance for agriculture, waste and biogas

A higher 2030 target means that non-ETS sectors, such as agriculture, transport, buildings and waste, will have to reduce emissions faster. Methane emissions from livestock and landfills and nitrous oxide emissions from fertilisation are among those that are difficult to reduce. Solutions such as the fermentation of manure and slurry, the management of biowaste and the capture of landfill gas will be among the first tools listed in national plans.

For renewable energy sources this means further acceleration. The Commission estimated in its analysis that the share of RES in final energy consumption would have to rise to around 38.5–40% in 2030. For biogas and biomethane this is an argument for stable support and simplified grid connection procedures.

What this means for Poland

Raising the ambition affects Poland more strongly than most states, because its energy mix in 2020 was largely based on coal. The government raised arguments about the costs of the transition and the need for financial support, as well as about allowing gas as a transitional fuel. The earlier findings of the European Council of December 2019 left Poland time to decide on climate neutrality, but with the 2030 target raised the question was becoming unavoidable.

What next

The proposal required agreement in the European Parliament and the Council. The European Parliament and some states pressed for higher targets, while others wanted more time and guarantees of financing. The European Council was to take up the subject at its autumn summits.