Policy - Environment, climate, energy, transport Flashcards
Name the cornerstones of EU biodiversity policy
- habitats directives (1992)
- birds directive (1979)
-> Both together form the natura 2000 network of protected areas
-invasive alien species regulation (2014)
- biodiversity strategies
- nature restauration Law to come soon 🤞🏻
objective under TEN-T until 2030
TEN-T = trans European network - transport
objective to complete the strategic backbone (the core network) by 2030
objective under TEN-T until 2050
TEN-T = trans European network - transport
objective to complete the extensive layer (the comprehensive network) by 2050
Nature Restoration Law (agreement on 9 nov 2023), objective and targets:
The law should set in motion a process for continuous and sustained recovery of nature across the EU’s land and sea.
targets:
- at EU level, Member States will put in place restoration measures in at least 20 % of the EU’s land areas and 20 % of its seas by 2030.
- By 2050 such measures should be in place for all ecosystems that need restoration.
Biodiversity strategy for 2030 (adopted in 2020), targets:
o 30% of land and of sea area should be protected by 2030
o 25 000 km of free flowing rivers
o Planting 3 billion trees by 2030
o Reducing the use and risk of pesticides by 50% by 2030
o Halting and reversing the decline of pollinators
o Increasing organic farming and biodiversity rich landscape features on agricultural land
Regulation on deforestation-free products (entered into force on 29 June 2023)
Under the Regulation, any operator or trader who puts one of the following commodities or derived products on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation:
commodities:
- soy,
- beef,
-palm oil,
- wood,
- cocoa,
- coffee,
- rubber
derived products:
- leather,
- chocolate,
- tyres,
- furniture
Soil strategy for 2030 (Adopted in Nov 2021)
The EU soil strategy aims to ensure that, by 2050
- all EU soil ecosystems are healthy and more resilient and can therefore continue to provide their crucial services
- there is no net land take and soil pollution is reduced to levels that are no longer harmful to people’s health or ecosystems
- protecting soils, managing them sustainably and restoring degraded soils is a common standard
Circular economy action plan (march 2020), objectives
Measures that will be introduced under the new action plan aim to
- make sustainable products the norm in the EU
- empower consumers and public buyers
- focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high such as: electronics and ICT, batteries and vehicles, packaging, plastics, textiles, construction and buildings, food, water and nutrients
- ensure less waste
- make circularity work for people, regions and cities
- lead global efforts on circular economy
Farm to Fork strategy (may 2020), targets
The Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies set two key targets for pesticides:
Target 1: to reduce by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 2030
Target 2: to reduce by 50% the use of more hazardous pesticides by 203
EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles (March 2022), objectives
The Strategy aims to create a greener, more competitive sector that is more resistant to global shocks. The Commission’s 2030 vision for textiles is that
- all textile products placed on the EU market are durable, repairable and recyclable, to a great extent made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, produced in respect of social rights and the environment
- ”fast fashion is out of fashion” and consumers benefit longer from high quality affordable textiles
- profitable re-use and repair services are widely available
- the textiles sector is competitive, resilient and innovative with producers taking responsibility for their products along the value chain with sufficient capacities for recycling and minimal incineration and landfilling
Objectives under new Renewable Energies Directive
Overall share of renewable energy in the EU’s overall energy consumption of 42.5% by 2030, with the the ambition to reach 45%. (previous target was 32% in 2030)
targets under the new energy efficiency directive (adopted on 20 September 2023)
binding target for EU countries to collectively ensure an additional 11.7% reduction in energy consumption by 2030, compared to the 2020 reference scenario projections.
As a result, overall EU energy consumption by 2030 should not exceed 992.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) for primary energy and 763 Mtoe for final energy.
proposals part of the fit for 55 package (reviews of existing legislation or new proposals)
teh fit for 55 package was split in two bulks: 1) 14 July 2021, 2) December 2021
- revision of Emission Trading Scheme
- revision of Effort sharing regulation
- revision of CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans
- revision of Regulation on Land Use, Forestry and Agriculture (LULUCF)
- revision of Renewable Energy Directive,
- revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive,
- revision of the Energy Taxation Directive,
- revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive,
- the Hydrogen and Decarbonised Gas Market Package,
- the Methane Emissions Reduction in the Energy Sector Regulation,
- proposal for a Social Climate Fund
- proposal for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
ETS
Cap & Trade
11000 installations in scope (heavy industry and power generators)
Farm to Fork
2030 targets
The strategy sets out a number of concrete targets to be reached by 2030:
Pesticides. Reduce by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of more hazardous pesticides.
Nutrients. Reduce nutrient loss by at least 50% while ensuring no loss in soil fertility and reduce fertiliser use by at least 20%.
Antimicrobial resistance. Reduce by 50% the use of antimicrobials such as antibiotics for farmed animals and aquaculture.
Organic farming. See at least 25% of farmland under organic farming.
The strategy also aims to have fast broadband available in all rural areas by 2025.
