Climate change agencies take EU to court over 2030 emissions cut rules By Reuters

By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Environmental campaigners have taken the European Commission to court over its 2030 emissions rules, seeking a ruling from Europe’s second-highest court to force the bloc to strengthen its climate policy, they said on Tuesday.

In a case before the Court of Justice of the European Union, non-profit groups Climate Action Network and Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) argue that national limits on greenhouse gas emissions for sectors such as transport and agriculture are illegal.

Protesters said the thresholds would not reduce Europe’s planet-warming emissions fast enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

“We highlighted how the EU’s 2030 targets were not derived from the best available climate science,” said Gerry Liston, lawyer at GLAN.

A spokesman for the European Commission declined to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

In a written defense filed with the court in July, seen by Reuters, the Commission asked the court to dismiss the claims as inadmissible.

The national emission caps, which require EU member states to reduce their emissions in those sectors by between 10% and 50% compared to 2005 levels, are designed to contribute to the EU’s overall target of reducing net emissions by 55% by 2030 , relative to 1990 levels. .

Scientists say the world’s emissions need to be roughly halved by 2030 to have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C. Participants argue that rich, big, historic polluters like the EU should move faster than that.

Sectors covered by national caps have weaker targets than segments such as energy production and industry, which EU policies require to cut emissions by more than 60% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.

The court granted the case priority status, according to a letter from the court to the plaintiffs’ lawyers seen by Reuters. That could mean the case will be heard in 2025. The case was originally filed in February but was not made public at the time.

The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why it prioritized this case over others.