Don’t stop now on climate policy, scientists tell EU ahead of elections

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on the Financial Times or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change advises the EU to double its annual emissions reductions and swiftly enact existing green initiatives into law to achieve its climate targets
• This comes ahead of the parliamentary elections in June, with a focus on implementing clean technology and critical mineral development plans

🔭 The context: The EU faces pressure to pass significant climate and industrial policies into law, including the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Net-Zero Industry Act
• These acts are partly in response to U.S. clean technology subsidies and aim to amend outdated energy taxation directives, particularly targeting aviation and shipping sectors

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Accelerating the implementation of these policies is crucial for maintaining the EU's climate leadership and credibility on the global stage
• Failure to act swiftly could result in the EU falling behind in the global green energy and industrial transition, impacting international efforts to combat climate change

⏭️ What's next: The EU needs to substantially increase its annual emissions cuts from an average of 62 Mt CO2e (2005-2022) to 141 Mt CO2e (2022-2030) to stay on target for reducing emissions by 55% by 2030

💬 One quote: “We cannot afford to lean back now,” (Ottmar Edenhofer, Chair of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change)

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