European businesses need a clear climate compass, not populism

The document criticizes the veto by Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Hungary against the EU's long-term climate strategy, arguing that such political obstruction harms businesses by removing investment certainty. It highlights that energy-intensive industries—specifically steel, cement, and chemicals—account for approximately 40% of greenhouse gas emissions under the EU emissions trading system and have seen no decrease in pollution since 2012. The author asserts that a formal commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 is essential to signal a clear decarbonisation path, enable the development of financial frameworks, and inform the EU 2030 industrial strategy.

• The EU emissions trading system has failed to reduce pollution from heavy industry, with emissions remaining stagnant since 2012 and no predicted decrease until 2030, largely due to over-generous handouts and exceptions.
• Resource and energy-intensive sectors, including chemicals, cement, and steel, are the third largest climate polluters in Europe, contributing roughly 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions covered by the EU emissions trading system.
• A formal EU commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 is necessary to provide investment certainty for industries with long investment cycles and to guide the European Commission in creating the EU 2030 industrial strategy.
• The endorsement of the EU's long-term climate strategy was blocked by the governments of Hungary, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Poland.

APA

Amaral, K. (2019). European businesses need a clear climate compass, not populism. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2019/06/25/european-businesses-need-a-clear-climate-compass-not-populism/

Chicago

Amaral, Kaisa. European businesses need a clear climate compass, not populism. Carbon Market Watch, 2019. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2019/06/25/european-businesses-need-a-clear-climate-compass-not-populism/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Amaral |first1=Kaisa |title=European businesses need a clear climate compass, not populism |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=25 June 2019 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2019/06/25/european-businesses-need-a-clear-climate-compass-not-populism/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{amaral2019european, author = {Amaral, Kaisa}, title = {{European businesses need a clear climate compass, not populism}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2019/06/25/european-businesses-need-a-clear-climate-compass-not-populism/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }