Poland is unlikely to back the European Union’s new climate target of cutting CO2 emissions by 90% by 2040, citing the economic and social risks that come with speeding up the green transitions, Polish media reported.
Earlier this week, the European Commission recommended a 90% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 1990, in line with the latest scientific advice and the EU’s commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The proposed target will now be discussed with the European Parliament and the EU member states, with talks set to take up to a year. Following the European elections in June, the next Commission will make legislative proposals on this basis.
Warsaw believes that the new climate target will be challenging to achieve economically and socially, according to a Polish position paper on the matter drafted by the Climate and Environment Ministry and obtained by Money.pl.
The government believes the European Union should thus be prepared to make adjustments to limit the negative impact on society and the economy.
“We see little room for further CO2 reduction commitments,” said Deputy Climate and Environment Minister Urszula Zielińskan, stressing that Poland is currently focused on the EU’s current 55% reduction target for 2030.
While stressing that the Commission’s target opens a discussion and is not a binding legal document, she promised that Poland would have long discussions on the issue, adding that Poland would definitely need support in implementing climate targets.
However, this does not mean that Poland would oppose the proposed target, as Zielińska later explained on X that her statement did not mean that Poland had already taken a clear position on Brussels’ recommendation, though Zielińska still called for “a constructive approach to EU climate policy, with a particular sensitivity to social issues”.
She added that her government’s position on the 90% reduction target will be worked out after the Commission publishes the details of its recommendation.
“As a government, we want an ambitious climate policy, but it must be implemented without harming people and the economy,” said Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska, adding that the green transition must be “a just transition” that takes into account both economic and social outcomes.
The Polish government will submit an updated version of its national energy and climate plan for 2021-2030 and its energy transition strategy for 2040 before the middle of the year.
Both strategies were drafted by the previous conservative Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) government that governed Poland until last December.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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Source: euractiv.com
