EU climate neutrality is essential, or recovery will be short-lived

The authors contend that EU stimulus plans must prioritize a zero-carbon future to avoid exacerbating climate risks. They highlight broad business support for this transition, citing various corporate coalitions and analysis suggesting that green projects offer higher short-term returns and more job creation than traditional stimulus. The statement calls for the strengthening of the European Green Deal, specifically targeting a 2030 emissions reduction of at least 55%, and recommends targeted investments in green infrastructure, innovation, and workforce reskilling.

• Economic recovery plans that are not aligned with long-term climate objectives, specifically achieving climate neutrality by 2050, will increase the human and economic risks posed by climate change.
• Analysis from Oxford University indicates that green projects are superior to traditional fiscal stimulus in terms of job creation, short-term financial returns per dollar spent, and long-term cost savings.
• There is significant corporate momentum in Europe supporting a green recovery, evidenced by over 150 global corporations in the Science Based Targets initiative urging alignment of COVID-19 aid with climate science, and 37 CEOs joining the "European Alliance for Green Recovery".
• The authors advocate for the European Green Deal as the primary mechanism for recovery, suggesting that the EU should strengthen its ambition to include intermediate 2030 targets of at least 55%.
• To support a climate-neutral economy, the document recommends government investment in green infrastructure (power, transport, buildings, and nature conservation), innovation for industrial decarbonisation and zero-carbon transport, and workforce reskilling.

APA

Whittington, E., & Mendiluce, M. (2020). EU climate neutrality is essential, or recovery will be short-lived. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/eu-climate-neutrality-2/

Chicago

Whittington, Eliot, and María Mendiluce. EU climate neutrality is essential, or recovery will be short-lived. We Mean Business Coalition, 2020. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/eu-climate-neutrality-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Whittington |first1=Eliot |last2=Mendiluce |first2=María |title=EU climate neutrality is essential, or recovery will be short-lived |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=22 May 2020 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/eu-climate-neutrality-2/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{whittington2020climate, author = {Whittington, Eliot and Mendiluce, María}, title = {{EU climate neutrality is essential, or recovery will be short-lived}}, publisher = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/eu-climate-neutrality-2/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }