European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as her climate chiefs Wopke Hoekstra and Teresa Ribera, have promised a proposal to cut 90 percent of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. But many governments pushed back at those plans.
As a result, Hoekstra delayed the legislation to explore options giving governments more leeway. Last week, he told EU countries that his proposal, now expected on July 2, would let them use international carbon credits to help meet the goal. Germany, France and Poland are among the countries backing the approach.
The scientists are having none of it. “The Advisory Board does not recommend using international carbon credits to replace domestic emission reductions when meeting the 2040 target,” they write in Monday’s 60-page report.
If the EU chooses to purchase carbon credits, they must add to domestic efforts, not replace them, the scientists insist. “You can do this, but you should not do this by relaxing domestic targets,” Edenhofer said.
The report marks an unprecedented intervention by the scientists. Although the board does not criticize the Commission or EU governments outright, it has never previously commented on an ongoing political debate in this manner.
The board’s advice has proven influential in the past. In 2023, it recommended the EU slash emissions between 90 and 95 percent below the bloc’s 1990 baseline by 2040, providing the foundation for the Commission’s initial recommendation last year.