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EU Climate Rift Widens as Ministers Meet and Scientists Urge 90% by 2040

With governments pressing to postpone or cap the new carbon price on heating and transport, EU leaders must now decide the 2040 path so negotiators can bring a credible pledge to Belém.

Overview

  • Environment ministers in Luxembourg worked on a COP strategy without sealing a deal, with the question now escalated to this week’s EU summit and a special ministers’ meeting in early November.
  • Climate chief Wopke Hoekstra warned the Brazil talks will be difficult given a US exit from Paris and limited Chinese ambition, heightening pressure for a unified EU position.
  • The Commission’s plan to cut emissions about 90% by 2040, allowing up to three percentage points via international credits, still requires approval from member states and the European Parliament.
  • More than 2,000 researchers urged leaders to keep the 90% goal, and a Greens-commissioned legal analysis warns of litigation and credibility risks if the target is weakened.
  • Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Cyprus asked Ursula von der Leyen to push the 2027 launch of ETS2 to 2030, citing projected CO2 prices near €99 per tonne and urging safeguards such as price limits and stronger social support.