EU countries failing to deliver on Paris Agreement targets

Not a single EU country is showing enough ambition or progress in reducing carbon emissions, with the vast majority unlikely to meet targets set out in the Paris Agreement.

That is according to a new report from Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, which ranks “good”, “bad” and “ugly” EU member states based on their climate action and ambition.

Sweden is rated the top-performing country, followed by Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, while Estonia, Ireland and Poland are ranked the lowest.

This comes ahead of the Petersberg Dialogue event in Berlin on 18-19 June, where representatives from 35 countries will meet to discuss the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“While all EU countries signed up to the Paris Agreement, most are failing to work towards delivering on its objectives,” CAN Europe director, Wendel Trio, said

“Sweden, Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg score highly because they recognise the importance of ensuring that EU climate policy is ‘Paris Agreement-proof’.”

The 28 member states’ rankings are shown below, with any nation scoring below 50% not doing enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals.

The report categorises the UK, Germany, Denmark and Belgium as “bad” for climate action and ambition, with these countries no longer at the forefront in tackling climate change.

It argues that, despite their relative wealth, these member states have so far remained silent or vague on the need to accelerate the zero-carbon transition in the EU.

Most Central and Eastern European countries are rated “ugly” for their unambitious climate policies, with Slovenia and the Czech Republic notable exceptions in the region.

The report urges EU countries to commit to more ambitious 2030 targets and strategies at the UN’s COP24 event in December this year, and to also set tougher national goals.

“Countries urgently need to improve their ranking by speaking out and acting in favour of more ambitious climate and energy policies and targets domestically and at EU-level,” Trio added.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Graphic credit: CAN Europe