Brussels – Greenpeace has warned the European Commission to ignore the delaying tactics and scaremongering of a powerful industry lobby group, after media reports [1] uncovered an internal memo detailing plans to challenge EU action on climate change.
Protest in Germany against the destruction of the Hambach forest to make way for an open pit coal mine owned by power utility RWE
Commenting on the leak, Greenpeace EU climate change policy director Tara Connolly said: “Europe is feeling the devastating effects of climate change first hand – heatwaves and droughts saw the EU bailing out farmers this summer, while forest fires reached the Arctic Circle. And yet this powerful industry lobby group is already manoeuvring behind closed doors to disrupt the EU’s efforts to step up action on climate change.
“The European Commission has a responsibility to move forward and ignore the spin, the lies and the delaying tactics of Europe’s dinosaur corporations. It would be irresponsible to fall for this scaremongering and ignore the huge economic, health and environmental damages of climate change.”
The EU is in the process of revising its climate policies to reflect its commitments under the Paris climate agreement. Scientists have warned that current EU pledges to cut greenhouse gases (by 40% by 2030) and boost renewables (to a share of 32%) and energy efficiency (by 32.5%) are inadequate.
The Commission is expected to release a plan to review the EU’s long-term greenhouse gas strategy by November 2018. The plan will be submitted to European governments in 2019.
Note: [1] Süddeutsche Zeitung (German), The Guardian, Euractiv.
Contact: Greenpeace EU press desk: +32 (0)2 274 19 11, [email protected]
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Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments, the EU, businesses or political parties.