Thread by @Sustainable2050

Today's #EUGreenDeal document: a 24-page 'communication' from the @EU_Commission to the @Europarl_EN, the @EUCouncil, and other European institutions. ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf… with timetable: ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf…
Thread with some observations:

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil Three chapters:
1. Introduction - turning an urgent challenge into a unique opportunity
2. Transforming the EU's economy for a sustainable future
3. The EU as a global leader

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil The #EUGreenDeal is "a new growth strategy aiming to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and economic growth is decoupled from resource use."

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil "This Communication presents an initial roadmap of the key policies and measures needed to achieve the #EUGreenDeal. It will be updated as needs evolve and the policy responses are formulated. All EU actions and policies will have to contribute to the #EUGreenDeal objectives."

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil The figure below illustrates the various elements of the Green Deal.

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil So, it's a comprehensive plan covering 8 themes: emissions, clean energy, renewing industry, energy-efficient buildings, zero pollution, ecosystems and biodiversity, a healthy and environmentally friendly food system, and sustainable mobility.

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil For this, its aims to mobilize research, foster innovation, attract the necessary financing, make it a just transition (leaving no one behind).
Finally, it aims to position the EU as a global leader, and to engage with the public on climate action (European Climate Pact).

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil To achieve this, the EC plans a set of "deeply transformative policies": rethinking policies for clean energy supply across the economy, industry, production and consumption, large-scale infrastructure, transport, food and agriculture, construction, taxation and social benefits.

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil To achieve this, the EC plans a set of "deeply transformative policies": rethinking policies for clean energy supply across the economy, industry, production and consumption, large-scale infrastructure, transport, food and agriculture, construction, taxation and social benefits.

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil "It's essential to increase the value given to protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, sustainable use of resources and improving human health. This is where transformational change is most needed and can be most beneficial for EU economy, society and natural environment."

@EU_Commission @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil On emissions: By summer 2020, the Commission will present an impact-assessed plan to increase the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reductions target for 2030 to at least 50% and towards 55% compared with 1990 levels in a responsible way.

[The present target is -40% by 2030, and improvements in energy efficiency and renewable energy target have effectively already raised this to -45.6%. But -50...-55% is a real step forward, within the coming decade.]

Further decarbonising the energy system is critical to reach climate objectives in 2030 & 2050. Energy efficiency must be prioritised. A power sector must be developed that is based largely on renewable sources, complemented by the rapid phasing out of coal and decarbonising gas.

[That's a clear energy program:
1. Efficiency up
2. Power largely renewable
3. Coal out
4. Gas to be decarbonised.]

The decarbonisation of the gas sector will be facilitated, including via enhancing support for the development of decarbonised gases, via a forward-looking design for a competitive decarbonised gas market, and by addressing the issue of energy-related methane emissions.

The clean energy transition should involve and benefit consumers, and the risk of energy poverty must be addressed for households that cannot afford key energy services to ensure a basic standard of living.

Achieving a climate neutral and circular economy requires the full mobilisation of industry. It takes 25 years – a generation – to transform an industrial sector and all the value chains. To be ready in 2050, decisions and actions need to be taken in the next five years.

The transition is an opportunity to expand sustainable and job-intensive economic activity. There is a big potential in global markets for low-emission technologies, sustainable products and services. And the circular economy offers great potential for new activities and jobs too

However, the transformation is taking place at a too slow
pace. The #EUGreenDeal will support and accelerate the EU’s industry transition to a sustainable model of inclusive growth.

In March 2020, the Commission will adopt an EU industrial strategy to address the twin challenge of the green and the digital transformation.

Together with the industrial strategy, a new circular economy action plan will help modernise the EU’s economy. A key aim will be to stimulate the development of lead markets for climate neutral and circular products, in the EU and beyond.

[Have to re-insert a tweet that ended up in a dead alley of the thread now:]

Should differences in levels of ambition worldwide persist, as the EU increases its climate ambition, the Commission will propose a carbon border adjustment mechanism [a 'Carbon Border Tax'], for selected sectors, to reduce the risk of carbon leakage [i.e. displacing production]

Access to resources is also a strategic security question for Europe’s ambition to deliver the Green Deal. Ensuring the supply of sustainable raw materials, in particular of critical raw materials necessary for clean technologies, digital, space and defence applications, ..

.. by diversifying supply from both primary and secondary sources, is therefore one of the pre-requisites to make this transition happen.

Promoting new forms of collaboration with industry and investments in strategic value chains are essential. The Commission will support initiatives leading to alliances and to a large-scale pooling of resources, ..

.. for example in the form of Important Projects of Common European Interest, where targeted time-bound State aid can help build new innovative value chains.

Today the annual renovation rate of the EU building stock varies from 0.4 to 1.2% in the Member States. This rate will need at least to double to reach the EU’s energy efficiency and climate objectives.

In parallel, 50 million consumers struggle to keep their homes adequately warm. To address the twin challenge of energy efficiency and affordability, the EU and the Member States should engage in a ‘renovation wave’ of public and private buildings.

The Commission proposes to work with stakeholders on a new initiative on renovation in 2020. This initiative will also include innovative financing schemes under InvestEU. These could target housing associations or energy service
companies.

An essential aim would be to organise renovation efforts into larger blocks to benefit from better financing conditions and economies of scale.

[So much for today. To be continued!]

https://twitter.com/sustainable2050/status/1204854424797093888?s=21

The price of transport must reflect the impact it has on the environment and on health. In the context of the revision of the Energy Taxation Directive, the Commission will look closely at the current tax exemptions for aviation and maritime fuels and how to close any loopholes.

The Commission will propose to extend European emissions trading to the maritime sector, and to reduce the EU Emissions Trading System allowances allocated for free to airlines. This will be coordinated with action at global level.

The Commission will give fresh political consideration as to how to achieve effective road pricing in the EU. It will also propose to revise by June 2021 the CO2 emission performance standards for cars and vans, to ensure a clear pathway towards zero-emission mobility.

European farmers and fishermen are key to managing the transition towards sustainable food production. The Farm to Fork Strategy will strengthen their efforts to tackle climate change, protect the environment and preserve biodiversity.

The Commission’s proposals for the common agricultural policy for 2021 to 2027 stipulate that at least 40% of the common agricultural policy’s overall budget and at least 30% of the Maritime Fisheries Fund would contribute to climate action.

The strategic plans will need to reflect an increased level of ambition to reduce significantly the use and risk of chemical pesticides, as well as the use of fertilisers and antibiotics.

The Commission will present a Biodiversity Strategy by March 2020, to be followed up by specific action in 2021. The strategy will outline the EU’s position on the global Convention on Biological Diversity, with global targets to protect biodiversity, ..

.. as well as commitments to address the main causes of biodiversity loss in the EU, underpinned by measurable objectives that address the main causes of biodiversity loss.

Forest ecosystems are under increasing pressure, as a result of climate change. The EU’s forested area needs to improve, both in quality and quantity, for the EU to reach climate neutrality and a healthy environment.

Sustainable re- and afforestation and the restoration of degraded forests can increase absorption of CO2 while improving the resilience of forests and promoting the circular bio-economy.

The Commission will analyse the findings of the @IPCC_CH special report on oceans and propose measures in the maritime area. This will include ways to manage maritime space more sustainably, notably to help tap into the growing potential of offshore renewable energy

@IPCC_CH Creating a toxic-free environment requires more action to prevent pollution from being generated as well as measures to clean and remedy it. To protect Europe’s citizens and ecosystems, the Commission will adopt in 2021 a zero
pollution action plan for air, water and soil.

@IPCC_CH To achieve the ambition set by the #EUGreenDeal, there are significant investment needs. The Commission has estimated that achieving the current 2030 climate and energy targets will require €260 billion of additional annual investment, about 1.5% of 2018 GDP.

This flow of investment will need to be sustained over time.
The magnitude of the investment challenge requires mobilising both the public and private sector.

The EU budget will play a key role. The Commission has proposed a 25% target for climate mainstreaming across all EU programmes. The EU budget will also contribute to achieving climate objectives on the revenue side.

The Commission has proposed new revenue streams (“Own Resources”), one of which is based on the non-recycled plasticpackaging waste. A second revenue stream could involve allocating 20% of the revenue from the auctioning of EU Emissions Trading System to the EU budget.

As part of the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, the Commission will propose a Just Transition Mechanism, including a Just Transition Fund, to leave no one behind. The transition can only succeed if it is conducted in a fair and inclusive way.

The Just Transition Mechanism will focus on regions and sectors most affected by the transition because they depend on fossil fuels or carbon-intensive processes. It will draw on funding from the EU budget as well as the EIB to leverage the necessary private and public resources.

The Commission will present a renewed sustainable finance strategy in the third quarter of 2020. The strategy will:
1. Strengthen the foundations for sustainable investment

2. Provide increased opportunities for investors and companies by making it easier for them to identify sustainable investments and ensuring that they
are credible.
3. Manage climate and environmental risks and integrate those into the financial system.

[So much for this evening. Expect one more sequel ;) ]