The European Union went to Brazil last month with high ambitions for climate action, despite infighting at home. Hosted by Brazil in the Amazon city Belém, countries from around the globe came together for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP30.
In 2015, 194 countries and the EU adopted the Paris Agreement, agreeing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep average global temperature change below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C by the end of the 21st century.
In October, the UN however said current commitments are not enough to stay below the 1.5°C threshold , and the world is likely to exceed it within the next decade – or at least temporarily.
Just days before the UN conference began, the EU agreed its own new targets to bring to the table in Belém.
Europe’s biggest challenge in Brazil wasn’t just global diplomacy, but also its own political climate as some EU member states are questioning parts of the EU’s climate targets in the name of competitiveness.
The EU wants to become climate neutral by 2050 and views climate action as a driver of its competitiveness – not as an obstacle. But businesses see environmental laws as burdensome and inefficient, reflecting a trend away from a focus on the green transition and toward a focus on economic competitiveness and security.
Want to know more about the outcome of the negotiations in Brazil and what it means for the EU’s road towards climate neutrality – and its economic competitiveness? Watch our video and follow the European Newsroom for more.