The vanishing point is the year 2050: Switzerland wants to be climate neutral by then, so net no more CO2 emissions. The voters decided that two weeks ago.
In the EU, the net zero target has been in place for some time. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, put climate neutrality at the heart of her agenda, comparing it to the 1969 “moon landing”. Now, outwardly, she would have to admit to herself: Houston, we have a problem!
Political resistance to the so-called “Green Deal” is growing. In the very heart of the EU justice machine itself, the EU Parliament: last Wednesday there was a real uprising against one of the main pillars of the climate package, the law “to restore nature”. This aims to return significant agricultural areas to nature to enhance biodiversity. Dried heaths are watered, forests are reforested and farmland is transformed into flower meadows.
But conservative parties took to the barricades. In the name of agriculture, they resist the strict conditions. These would push European farmers to the brink of subsistence and cause a collapse in food production. The discussion is largely similar to that in Switzerland, where parliament recently scuttled the counter-proposal to the biodiversity initiative.
However, the malaise surrounding the ambitious climate goals extends far beyond the Brussels political bubble. In the nation states, too, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find majorities for the ever-new climate laws. An example of this is the dispute in Germany about the end of the internal combustion engine or the heating law. Keyword: “Mandatory renovations”. In times of war and inflation, politicians apparently have little interest in expensive climate protection measures that put extra pressure on their constituents’ tight budgets.
The CDU targets the Greens – Macron calls for a regulatory break
The situation is uncomfortable for von der Leyen: her party, the CDU, is in the opposition in Germany and is calling for an attack on the traffic light government. In particular, the Greens minister of Economic Affairs, Robert Habeck, is in the crosshairs. CDU leader Friedrich Merz recently called him the “main opponent” and announced that he wanted to show a “clear lead” in the future. In Brussels, however, von der Leyen rules hand in hand with the Greens in the European Parliament.
But there is also a strong wind blowing against the EU Commission from other EU capitals. In Eastern European countries such as Poland, where people still rely heavily on burning coal, ambitious climate protection is often seen as a Western European luxury project. Poland and other Eastern European countries regularly vote against new EU environmental laws. And even in France, the mood seems to be changing.
President Emmanuel Macron called for a “pause” in EU environmental regulation in May. “We are implementing what we have decided, but we must stop doing more,” Macron said. Otherwise, Europe risks overtaxing the industry and falling behind compared to China and the US. Similar tones can be heard in Belgium, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, where the new peasant and citizen movement won a landslide victory in the last regional elections.
It is unclear how the EU headquarters in Brussels will respond to the changing situation. Von der Leyen has so far only put forward her climate commissioner Frans Timmermans. He recently said that there was no question of breaking regulations when it came to climate protection: “We don’t have time to remain paralyzed in the fight against climate change,” said the Dutchman. However, the head of the Commission himself will not be able to stay away from the sensitive debate for much longer. Experts and non-governmental organizations are already warning that the EU could run out of air halfway through when it comes to climate protection. And so that the long-term goal of climate neutrality in 2050 is still a long way off. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
