This document is addressed to Article 6 negotiators and Heads of Delegations at COP25, and proposes a detailed and structured text to address the issues described in the briefing “Empty targets? How to avoid the trading of hot air under the Paris Agreement”. Key numbers from the briefing: ● The potential supply of available CERs…
Executive summary 12 European countries have committed to closing down coal-fired power plants over the coming years. In order to do their part in limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, all EU countries will have to follow on this path and phase out coal by 20301. While this is an urgent…
Executive summary With total greenhouse gas emissions of 708 million tonnes per year, the resource and energy-intensive industry is the third-largest climate polluter in Europe. The cement, chemical, and steel sectors alone are responsible for almost 60% of these emissions. Industrial emissions are regulated under the EU Emission Trading System (ETS), but the numerous exemptions…
How the EU Budget can help Member States in reducing emissions Executive Summary The Commission presented proposals relating to the post-2020 EU budget in May and June 2018. The next EU budget spans from 2021 to 2027 and the revenue streams, as well as where the money will be invested, are both topics of discussion…
Executive Summary The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was set up under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to allow developed countries to buy emissions reductions from developing countries in the form of credits, called Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs). The objectives of the CDM are to help developed countries achieve their climate commitment and to assist developing countries in achieving sustainable…
Introduction In the coming time, Member States will need to develop National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), in collaboration with stakeholders, to show how they plan to meet their 2030 climate and energy commitments. This provides an opportunity for civil society to help shape the key national decisions for the next decade and to ensure that they…
Executive Summary The Paris Agreement breaks away from the division of “developed” vs. “developing” countries which was enshrined in the Kyoto Protocol. It sets a new dynamic which will inevitably impact the next generation of carbon markets. It further sets new objectives for these mechanisms, such as contributing to overall mitigation of global GHG emissions and…
How effective will the EU’s largest post-2020 climate tool be? Introduction The Climate Action Regulation (CAR), also known as the Effort Sharing Regulation, is Europe’s tool to reduce the climate impact of sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Covering 60% of the EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the law sets…
Executive summary In autumn 2017, the EU Member States and the European Parliament agreed on the revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), setting out the scheme’s rules for the 2021-2030 period. The EU ETS aims to put a price on carbon by requiring installations across Europe to surrender allowances reflecting their level…
Cities and regions are critically important for meeting and overachieving Europe’s climate targets. More than a third of the EU’s 2020 climate target will be delivered by cities, equivalent to 240 million tonnes of CO2 emission reductions (JRC, 2016).
Carbon pricing 
International transport 
Climate governance 
Fair climate action