The community legislature began with the European Green Deal like the flag flown by the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, but The pressure from the extreme right and the fear of losing votes have meant that the rules inspired by that pact have been diluted, delayed or relaxed..
A study by the European Council on International Relations published with a view to the continental elections has calculated a strong shift to the right in the European Union in which the green agenda has occupied a central role. “That far-right populist parties win votes has consequences especially for environmental policies.. “It is foreseeable that the new majority will oppose ambitious action to tackle climate change.”describes the work. “Anti-climate coalition likely to dominate”says one of its authors, Kevin Cunningham.
From Spain, call for immediate action to re-align the EU with the objectives of the Green Deal. Scientific organizations have recently created work areas to promote interaction between science and politics and are concerned about how Key regulations included in the European Green Deal have been delayed, weakened or eliminated entirely.
Given the unprecedented environmental challenges and the progressive planetary crisis we face, Scientists from across Europe have issued an urgent appeal to EU policymakers to stop the dismantling of the European Green Deal and restore its transformative ambition.
This call has been joined by more than 1900 European scientists and more than 30 scientific organizations. Together, have expressed deep concern about the future of the Green Deal due to recent decisions on key environmental regulations that have been delayed, weakened or eliminated entirely.
Among these are the withdrawal of the Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUR), amendments to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that eliminate environmental safeguardsand the delay of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
These actions put at risk the EU’s ability to meet its commitments to carbon neutrality, biodiversity conservation and pollution reduction.which implies a critical risk to public health, well-being and food security.
The group of Ecology for Policy recently created within the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET) It has a parallel origin to all these events.
“People in the scientific field who handle information on a daily basis that this is not going well, have the feeling that we must take action and give a twist in our commitment to reverse the situation,” confirms from the new group of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET).
A ‘European Green Deal’ in clear decline
The appeal makes an assessment of the negative consequences that each of the decisions taken by the EU in recent months has for the future of the EU.
- Deforestation: he delay in the implementation of the European Regulation on the regulation of raw materials and products linked to the degradation of forest ecosystems (EUDR) undermines its ability to address deforestation and forest degradation associated with European supply chains. Through this control, the elimination and degradation of European and international forests and their transformation for other uses could be stopped, as well as reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere by more than 32 million cubic meters per year and eliminate the associated loss of biodiversity. On the other hand, it penalizes companies that, responsibly, have already invested in compliance for the benefit of those that have not done so.
- Pesticides: he rejection of the Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUR) ignores strong scientific evidence and public support for EU-wide pesticide reduction targets. This setback jeopardizes efforts to address the growing use of agrochemicals harmful to human health, ecosystems and biodiversity. In particular, it threatens our own food security by reducing the populations of pollinators, essential for many crops.
- Agricultural policy: las CAP reforms have weakened environmental standardsprioritizing short-term productivity over long-term sustainability, which could exacerbate land degradation, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Expansion of renewable energy: renewable energy is crucial for decarbonizationalthough unregulated or insufficiently planned deployment may involve the unnecessary destruction of other environmental assets such as habitats of interestunique ecosystems or spaces that contribute to essential connectivity, constituting green infrastructure suitable for the mobility of our biodiversity. In short, contravening other agreements already signed such as the European Union strategy on biodiversity 20-30 or the national Green Infrastructure strategies (ENIVCRE) among others.
Reverse this change of priorities
Scientists have expressed deep concern about the shift in EU policy priorities towards competitiveness and economic growth at the expense of sustainability. This reorientation, reflected in the Commission’s 100-day strategy, ignores planetary boundaries and the interconnection between environmental health, human well-being and economic resilience.
5 urgent steps to re-align the EU with the objectives of the Green Deal:
- Reverse recent decisions: reconsider recent decisions, such as the CAP reforms, delaying the implementation of the EUDR and refusing new attempts to weaken existing environmental regulations. Reestablish the SOUTH, reintroduce the Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides to maintain science-based pesticide reduction targets as recommended by science.
- Comply with current legislation and promote its proper implementation: commit to informed decision-making that considers consolidated scientific and technical knowledge as a contribution to the adequate deployment of the different legislations.
- New environmental agenda: develop a post-election strategy aligned with planetary boundaries and the EU’s global commitments on climate and biodiversity, especially for CAP reform. Structure it at different scales, from planetary and global to landscape and local, emphasizing the relationships and dependencies between them. We must move forward in unison.
- Science-politics collaboration: strengthen the interaction between science and politics, generating channels of dialogue and using the mechanisms established by the European Commission to support informed and evidence-based decision-making.
- Commitment to sustainability: Search for models and solutions that guarantee the health and quality of life of different societies, now and in the future
European Green Deal, what we cannot lose along the way
He EU Green Deal intend transform the EU into an equitable and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, with no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and economic growth will be dissociated from the use of resources.
Likewise, it aspires to protect, maintain and enhance the EU’s natural capitalas well as protect the health and well-being of citizens from environmental risks and effects. At the same time, this transition must be fair and inclusive.
This pact or agreement of the EU Member States was approved in 2019 as a roadmap to comply with other previously signed agreements: the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goalsin this case within the framework of the UN.