21:10 22 June 2019
Poland blocks climate neutrality target by 2050
Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Estonia blocked EU from adopting climate neutrality goals set for 2050. The summit statement now mentions that majority of EU states support climate neutrality but target date has been moved to a footnote. "For a large majority of member states, climate neutrality must be achieved by 2050,” it says.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the stricter climate goals may provoke hike in energy prices and huge costs for entrepreneurs. Other source in government anonymously told that the plan cannot be supported "without details about financing".
Supporters of the 2050 plan hoped the EU would show the progress ahead of a major UN climate summit in September in New York. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade, and to net zero emissions by mid-century.
(PAP)
