Climate change: MEPs to debate emissions gap report with UNEP Executive Director TODAY

UNEP Executive Director Ms. Inger Andersen, will present the Emissions Gap Report 2020 to Environment MEPs on Thursday afternoon.

The presentation by the Executive Director will be followed by a Q&A session with MEPs from the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

You can follow the committee meeting live here from 13.45 on Thursday 10 December. The presentation is expected to start around 14.45-15.00.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has today 9 December published its Emissions Gap Report for 2020 on the difference between predicted GHG emissions in 2030 and where they should be to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The Report says that in spite a brief dip in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century – far beyond the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.

Sustainability requirement for batteries in the EU

Another important topic this week the new and revised Batteries Directive, to be adopted by the Commission today. The directive aims at ensuring that the EU regulatory framework can create a competitive, circular, sustainable and safe value chain for all batteries placed on the EU market.

On Friday 11 December, Mr. Sinkevičius, Commissioner Environment, Oceans and Fisheries will present the Commission’s proposal on sustainability requirement for batteries in the EU to the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

You can watch the presentation and the debate here Friday from 9 am.

Background on EU Climate Law

In October, Parliament adopted its negotiating mandate on the EU climate law. The new law aims to transform political promises that the EU will become climate neutral by 2050 into a binding obligation and to give European citizens and businesses the legal certainty and predictability they need to plan for the transformation.

Parliament also wants to increase the EU’s current emissions reductions target for 2030 from 40% to 60% compared to 1990.