This article is a summary of an interview published on the European Commission website 15 June 2020
Stopping the climate crisis will require us to substantially cut carbon emissions across all sectors of the economy, as well as to rapidly transition to a zero-carbon energy mix. To this end, European Union member states need to develop and implement national energy and climate plans (NECPs). PlanUp advocates for strong plans that are developed together with all relevant stakeholders.
In a recent interview, Elisa Martellucci talks about our PlanUp project which was set up to scrutinise the NECP process in five focus countries – Italy, Spain, Hungary, Poland and Romania. PlanUp’s mission is to ensure that the plans match the urgency to take climate action and that citizens and other stakeholders are included in their development.
Elisa describes the plans as an opportunity to turn the EU Green Deal into tangible actions while involving citizens and civil society in designing and implementing the climate transition that will affect us all.
But she points out that, as our analyses have shown, the plans submitted so far are not strong enough to reach the EU’s 2030 climate target, let alone the new level of ambition as set out in the European Green Deal. The upcoming higher 2030 target means that the climate plans will also have to be ramped up sooner than expected.
The Covid-19 pandemic has tremendously impacted our lives, our work and the way we interact with one another. But it does not erase the climate emergency. Mobilising a rapid transition to a zero-carbon society remains of critical importance for current and future generations, Elisa says. A crucial task for PlanUp now is to ensure that governments do not water down their national climate plans in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Read the full interview here
Watch the recording of our recent webinar “Are NECPs fit to deliver the EU Climate Law?” here
