The Paris agreement, struck 10 years ago, is a historical achievement in environmental history although not all goals have been achieved yet, says Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General of European Environmental Bureau. Agriculture, transport, and housing are currently among the sectors where emissions reduction is problematic. And the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is a problem that goes beyond the scope of President Trump’s term.
How do you assess the importance of Paris Agreement after ten years?
It was certainly a major, unprecedented agreement. A true breaking point. First time in history (the final wording of the Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December, 2015, EUP) we had a treaty covering climate change that was signed by vast majority of world’s countries.
I think that nobody had expected that everything would go fast and smoothly. Over the years, we have seen political ups and downs influenced by the ambitions of different signatories. That is, in my opinion, the main reason why some targets included in the Paris Agreement have not been achieved so far.
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You probably have in mind the 1.5 °C temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels…
Yes, this target is not going to be met. However, that must not mean that we would just sit idly by. On the contrary: we must do everything we can to bring the emissions down to prevent further temperature rise.
Agriculture as the biggest problem
In which sectors do we fail to deliver?
PtB: Talking about emissions reduction, agriculture is the biggest problem at the moment. So far there has been insufficient action in this sector. Especially on methane which could slow climate breakdown within one political cycle.
Then we have transport where we have seen some progress over the past years, but certainly not enough has been done. The increase in the share of electric vehicles is simply too slow. And we definitely must do more as regards buildings.
You mentioned transport and buildings as sectors lagging behind. In this context, how do you view postponing of the ETS2 system by one year—decision that has been adopted by the EU just a few days ago?
Clearly, it is a shame. Whole one year will be lost (ETS2 should become fully operational only in 2028). It will also have financial consequences, but different compared to what people think: there will be much less money going to the Social Climate Fund until the start of ETS2. Consequently, there will be less finances to support vulnerable people and small businesses that may face difficulties paying their energy bills and similar expenses.
In January 2025, the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement for a second time. Is it a big issue for the environmental community or just a temporary problem?
It is a problem, indeed. A big problem that exceeds the President Trump’s term. It presents an important signal, a lack of engagement. Not just because the United States is the world’s second largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter. As an example, behind the scene, Americans keep forming international alliances with countries like Saudi Arabia that strive to hamper the efforts to bring emissions down. This has a negative impact, among other things, on maritime transport, which is a significant GHG emitter.
For us, Europeans, it means that we must step up the global climate action leadership.
Carbon credits as dangerous pretext
Recently, however, we have seen developments also within the EU that are considered negative by the environmental community. An example are the international carbon credits…
For me, the inclusion of these carbon credits into the EU’s 2040 Climate Target is a reduction of responsibility (EU has recently agreed that from 2036, five percentage points of emissions reductions could come via international carbon credits, i.e. financing environment-friendly projects outside the EU). Such an outsourcing will definitely slow down green solutions. What is even worse is that this so-called “flexibility” may be used in future as a pretext for similar weakening of green policy.
How do you see the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 30 held in November in Brazil?
In general, the progress as reflected in the final declaration has been definitely insufficient. There is no mention of phasing-out fossil fuels and many more things are lacking. There has been little common confidence, that is clear.
Important is that leaders got together and decision-makers sit around the same table. We should view these conferences as an ongoing process and prepare thoroughly for the upcoming COP31.
European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is a network of around 180 environmental citizens’ organisations based in more than 40 countries, representing local, national, European, and international groups in EU member states and some accession and neighbouring countries. The EEB tackles Europe’s most pressing environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity, circular economy, air, water, soil, chemical pollution, and more by agenda setting, monitoring, advising, and influencing the way the EU deals with these issues.
Patrick ten Brink was appointed EEB Secretary General in July 2022. He provides political leadership across all the organization’s policy areas, represents the EEB and its member organisations vis-à-vis the EU institutions and in other relevant fora. Before that, he has worked extensively on circular economy and marine litter, green tax reform, subsidy reform, climate policy, and biodiversity policy.
