EU secures an agreement on a global response to keep the 1.5C limit within reach

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The European Union stood united for strong climate action and the Paris Agreement goals at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in the heart of the Amazonas. While aiming for more ambition, EU negotiators worked with partners to secure an agreement that recognises the need to keep the 1.5C limit of global average temperatures within reach, and to transition away from fossil fuels.

In an era of changing geopolitics and growing disinformation, and with communities across the globe increasingly feeling climate impacts, it is more important than ever to stand behind our core principles in the fight against climate change: science, multilateralism and cooperation with global partners, in particular the most vulnerable.

At COP30, a total of 86 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement has been submitted by 113 Parties. This includes the new EU NDC setting out a reduction of net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 66.25 – 72.5 % below 1990 levels by 2035, comprising all sectors of the economy and all GHGs. Temperature levels has widely varied over the years being on the rise. Even if more progress is necessary to achieve the temperature goal, the full implementation of the latest NDCs will bend the emission curve providing a significant collective progress towards the temperature goal.

COP Parties agreed on the “Global Mutirão”aiming for a united and collective effort to deploy common climate solutions for this planet. Deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions are the only path to limit global warming to 1.5C with no or limited overshoot. Current trajectories though are not sufficient to achieve this goal. A new “Global Implementation Accelerator” will provide a global response to the mitigation gap and accelerate implementation across all sectors to keep 1.5C within reach. It will involve support to countries to deliver on the ground their NDCs,national adaptation plans and the Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs). Both UN Synthesis Reports recently published on the NDCs and the BTRs made clear that more efforts are needed to achieve the Paris goals.

The EU remains fully committed to all climate commitments agreed together with global partners in the past years, especially in Dubai and Baku. As the clean energy transition accelerates worldwide,the EU will continue delivering the Global Pledgesto transition away from fossil fuels, triple the installed capacity of renewables and double the global rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, agreed as part of the Global Stocktake at COP28.

In the framework of the Global Goal of Climate Adaptation, Parties agreed on a set of indicators to guide and enable investments and programmes on adaptation. They also called for tripling by 2035 finance for adaptation in the context of the climate finance commitments, also known as the New Collective Quantified Goal, of COP29 last year.  

A coalition of more than 80 willing countries, including the EU and its Member States launched under Brazil’s leadership a partnership to transition away from fossil fuels. Parties also agreed on accelerating implementation of the Just Transition pathways to 1.5C. Those recognise the importance of human rights, labour rights, gender equality as well as inclusive stakeholder engagement and social dialogue.

The delivery of the first ever Biennial Transparency Report by the end of 2024 by 119 Parties, including the European Union, was an important step to show collective progress for the implementation of the Paris Agreement; nevertheless, more efforts need to be made.

Key announcements made at COP30

In parallel to the negotiations in Belem, the EU backed several plurilateral initiatives. In close collaboration with the Brazilian Presidency the EU helped secure a Leaders’ Declaration on the Open Coalition on Compliance Carbon Markets. Endorsed by President von der Leyen on behalf of the EU, the Declaration boosts the recognition of carbon pricing and market mechanisms as key tools to advance climate action globally. This is a key priority for the Union whose Task Force for International Carbon Pricing and Markets Diplomacy support partners internationally to develop and implement their own systems. At COP30, the EU welcomes continued dialogue with global partners to enhance international cooperation on policy measures to combat climate change, including those preventing carbon leakage.

On forest protection, the EU endorsed the Declaration on the Launch of the initiative on the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a global innovative funding mechanism that rewards the conservation of tropical forests. The Commission also signed the Belém Call to Action for the Congo Basin Forests, renewing its COP26 commitment to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 in this region.

The Union also supported the Global Statement on Gender Equality and Climate Action, recognising that women and girls often face the greatest climate risks, and endorsed the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships backing cities and regions as key partners for boosting climate action and resilience.

Together with International Methane Emissions Observatory, the Commission launched the Global Methane Status Report which shows the progress made towards achieving the Pledge’s global target of cutting methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

Background

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 194 countries agreed to keep average global temperature change well below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C by the end of the century. To do this, they agreed to submit NDCs which represent their individual emissions reduction targets.

The European Union is firmly committed to the Paris Agreement and has set a clear path to reach its goals and climate neutrality by 2050, with policies based on science. Accounting only for 6% of global emissions, the EU has already cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 37% since 1990 while growing its economy by 71%. This steady progress keeps Europe firmly on track to reach its 2030 climate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

Before COP30, the EU has submitted an ambitious new NDC under the Paris Agreement to reduce net GHG emissions by 66.25 – 72.5 % below 1990 levels by 2035, comprising all sectors of the economy and all GHGs. This new international commitment is a key milestone in the pursuit of further emissions cuts in the decade to come. Following adoption by the Council, the EU is advancing its domestic  discussions domestically to cut its net GHG emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, setting a clear trajectory to net-zero.

The EU remains the largest provider of international climate finance in the world. Together with its Member States, it provided a total of €31.7 billion from public sources in 2024 and mobilised a further € 11 billion in private finance. This funds projects in developing countries across the globe which help cut emissions and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.