Greens lawmakers rue lack of ambition in EU climate law

BRUSSELS (AP) — As the European Union prepares to unveil plans for a climate law to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by mid-century, Green members of the European Parliament are already ruing its lack of ambition, urging the 27-nation bloc to raise its 2030 climate targets.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has put climate change at the top of her priorities and pledged to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050, will present her plans on Wednesday. To add luster to the event, she has invited climate activist Greta Thunberg to discuss the climate legislation with her and EU commissioners.

According to a leaked draft of the proposals establishing the 2050 goal, the European Commission is proposing a mechanism for regularly raising the EU's emissions reduction target over the next three decades, but there is no plan for an increase of the EU’s overall emissions goal for 2030.

In the draft, the European Commission said it will review the EU's current target of a 40% greenhouse gas reduction and “explore options for a new 2030 target of 50% to 55% emission reductions compared with 1990 levels."

Both environmental group Greenpeace and Green lawmakers in the European Parliament say that delaying an upgraded 2030 target will have damaging political consequences. Michael Bloss, a lawmaker with the German Green Party, said it's essential that the 2030 target should be fixed well ahead of the U.N climate talks that will be held in Glasgow in November if Europe wants to be in a position to apply pressure on big-emitting countries such as China.

“We need our European goal published as soon as possible," he said on Tuesday. “The commission's delaying tactics in putting forward the updated 2030 target is irresponsible. Emissions must be reduced by at least 65%by 2030 and could...