Global warming and the environmental change it causes are among the greatest threats facing the European Union now and in the near future. If warming is not halted at the 1.5-degree temperature rise recommended by the IPCC, irreversible changes in nature will occur within the Union and its neighbouring regions, the effects of which will cause social, political, and economic instability for EU member states. The European Union is committed to action to curb climate change, but concrete planning is only just under way. JEF Helsinki emphasises the need to carry out all of the Union’s climate action in a socially just way, without jeopardising EU citizens’ equal opportunity for wellbeing. We present measures and solutions for three of the Union’s emitting sectors: the energy sector, the transport sector, and the agricultural sector.
The energy sector is the single largest source of climate emissions in the European Union. Most of the sector’s emissions arise from the production of fossil energy and its use in industry and residential buildings. To reduce emissions from energy production, the EU has drawn up the 2030 climate and energy framework and the Commission’s 2050 strategy, which, if implemented, would mean a wider rollout of renewable forms of energy production and improved energy efficiency in industry and housing. The strategy’s goal of raising the share of renewable energy to 80% of total production must be met and implemented in a socially just way. In the Union’s more energy-economically stable regions, rapid adoption of renewable energy must be guaranteed, and focus must be placed on improving energy efficiency across all sectors of society. However, particular attention must be paid to the Union’s regions dependent on fossil fuels and affected by energy poverty, where 10-20% of the Union’s citizens currently live. These regions must be financially supported in their transition towards a low-emission energy sector, and JEF Helsinki therefore demands that funding be directed in particular towards developing renewable energy infrastructure in these regions and improving the energy efficiency of their residential buildings.
Emissions from the transport sector make up a third of the European Union’s total emissions. However, its emissions have great potential for reduction, as most of the sector’s emissions come from road transport, which can be addressed directly through fair measures. JEF Helsinki demands that the European Union deliver on the targets it has set for road transport emission reductions and work towards carbon-neutral transport by 2050. This must be achieved by electrifying road transport, for which a standardised, EU-wide charging infrastructure must be created, together with an electricity distribution system that gives everyone equal access to electric cars. In addition, the European Union must steer regional and urban planning so that funding is granted only to low-carbon projects, and so that the main emphasis of transport in urban areas shifts from private car use to large-scale public transport. The role of rail transport must be increased, the condition and coverage of rail networks must be improved and maintained, car-free areas must be increased, and parking areas must be located close to public transport hubs. Short-term emission reductions must be pursued through a regressive tightening of fuel taxation, while simultaneously compensating for the economic pressure this places on low-income citizens by adjusting other forms of taxation.
After the energy and transport sectors, the agricultural sector produces the most emissions in the European Union. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, it places a burden on natural environments through harmful nitrogen and phosphorus emissions and, in its current form, degrades the condition of land suitable for agricultural use. JEF Helsinki considers that the European Union must in future act as the leading force in reducing agricultural emissions and set out guidelines for member states to achieve these reductions fairly and without jeopardising the Union’s food security. Agricultural emission reductions must be achieved by tying the Union’s agricultural subsidies to emission-reduction targets, by restricting subsidy eligibility conditions so as to encourage a shift towards low-emission production and away from high-emission forms of production. The carbon sequestration capacity of agricultural land must be increased, and the cultivation of crops that promote this must be supported through agricultural subsidies. The use of chemical fertilisers, which burden the condition of the soil and harm the surrounding natural environment, must be reduced, and the shift towards cultivating crops that improve biological nutrient fixation must be financially supported. The eligibility conditions for agricultural subsidies must also include provisions supporting division of labour and joint farming between smallholdings, since agricultural emissions can also be reduced fairly by making cooperation between smallholdings more efficient. In this way, both small and large agricultural operators can be effectively steered towards lower-emission production without jeopardising their livelihoods.
Pursuing climate targets is also justified from a labour market perspective, as climate action in different sectors also creates potential for economic development and enables lifelong learning to be put to use in sectors undergoing major transformation. By focusing on improving energy efficiency through renovating the Union’s building stock, 2 million new jobs could be created in the Union, which, according to estimates, would lead to a 0.7% rise in GDP across the Union. In addition, building new energy infrastructure generates new jobs in the renewable energy production sector. In the transport sector, the electrification of road transport creates a better basis than at present for platform and sharing-economy applications and the companies that use them, which creates jobs in the sector. The European Union must support this development by creating uniform standards for sector operators and by developing internal market regulation for them. In the agricultural sector, supporting cooperation between smallholdings and supporting the cultivation of crops that diversify monoculture farming increase productivity and create a need for additional labour.
Socially just action to combat climate change must be one of the central themes of the European Union’s upcoming terms. Ensuring that this happens is an important part of the core of the Union’s fundamental principles, and through it, cohesion and security problems facing the Union are addressed and the Union’s economy is strengthened. For this reason, JEF Helsinki demands that Finnish MEPs and the Finnish Commissioner take action to advance climate action in the various sectors in the ways described above.
JEF Helsinki
For further information:
Kia Karhunen
President
kia.karhunen[at]helsinki.fi
Vilppu Kaartinen
Vice President
vilppu.kaartinen[at]gmail.com
Matti Myllynen
Advocacy and Membership Officer
matti.myllynen[at]helsinki.fi
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3. Greenhouse gas emissions, by source sector, EU-28, 1990 and 2017 (percentage of total). Eurostat, EEA. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/1180.pdf
4. Greenhouse gas emissions, by source sector, EU-28, 1990 and 2017 (percentage of total). Eurostat, EEA. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/1180.pdf
5. Renovate Europe campaign. https://www.renovate-europe.eu/about-the-campaign/