Mitigation of climate change

Climate change — a significant variation of average weather conditions over several decades — represents a major human and global challenge. Climate change can be mitigated, to make its impact less severe, by preventing or reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere.

Records suggest that, particularly since the middle of the 20th century, humans and the GHGs that they generate (mainly carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane, nitrous oxides and fluorinated gases) have rapidly accelerated climate change. The international community has recognised the need to keep global warming well below 2 °C and agreed to aim to limit it to 1.5 °C.

The EU has a comprehensive framework of policies to reduce GHG emissions. Key EU legislation and policies include:

the EU Emissions Trading System to reduce GHG emissions from the power sector, industry and flights within the EU;
national targets under the effort sharing regulation;
ensuring that the EU’s forests and land contribute to the fight against climate change (Land use and forestry regulation for 2021–2030);
reducing GHG emissions from transport, e.g. through CO₂ emission standards for vehicles;
boosting energy efficiency, renewable energy and governance of the Member States’ energy and climate policies.

In 2019, the European Commission adopted the European Green Deal — an ambitious agenda for the EU to become climate neutral (that is, an economy with net zero GHG emissions) by 2050 — and this was enshrined in the new European climate law. All parts of society and economic sectors will play a role in achieving this — from the power sector to industry, mobility, buildings, agriculture and forestry.

Since 2020, the Commission has adopted a series of new strategic initiatives, notably a new circular economy action plan for a clean and competitive Europe, a biodiversity strategy for 2030 and a ‘Farm to fork’ strategy, as well as an EU strategy on adaptation to climate change, which complements its mitigating actions.

In 2020, the Commission put forward a 2030 climate target plan to further reduce net GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The new 2030 target is now enshrined in the European climate law. In July 2021, the Commission also adopted a series of legislative proposals setting out how it intends to achieve climate neutrality in the EU by 2050, including an intermediate target of at least a 55% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

The EU’s 8th environment action programme, to run from 2021 to 2030, will support the European Green Deal’s climate action and environment objectives.