The Effort Sharing Dinosaur
ESRAvoiding extinction for the EU’s climate ambition
Sandbag’s latest report shows the EU’s biggest climate instrument – the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) – is not on track to deliver the EU’s longterm emission reduction targets:
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the ESD in 2020 will have a huge surplus of 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (in the form of Annual Emission Allowances);
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the ESD will deliver no emissions reductions beyond business as usual until after 2030, unless the baseline for the start of the next phase is not changed to match real emissions levels;
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the ESD’s 30% emissions reduction target for 2030 is too low, and puts the EU on a path to missing its 2050 goals.
Pages 13, 14, 19 of the report have been amended on the 28/06/2016, reflecting a revised interpretation of the Art. 3.2, 3.3, 3.5 of the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) on flexibilities available to the Member States under ESD during 2013-2020. The change doesn’t affect any of the substantive analysis, conclusions or recommendations originally made in the paper and published on 27/06/2016.