Statement of the Scientists for Future on the current draft for a European climate regulation
Berlin, 04.03.2020 | On the occasion of today’s presentation of the planned EU climate regulation, a group of scientists is requesting that the EU package of measures be filled in with content. In a statement the Scientists for Future (S4F) call on all European scientists across disciplines and institutions to participate in the „overall social transformation“ (according to the statement) of Europe.
In doing so, the scientific community supports the demand of „Fridays for Future“, who have made a clear call to the European Parliament to adopt sufficiently effective measures immediately and not to postpone them into the future. S4F member Volker Quaschning, Professor for Renewable Energy Systems, emphasizes: „Already last year, almost 27,000 scientists have corroborated that the criticism and demands of young people are both justified and scientifically founded. We have to start taking effective measures here and now.“ In figures, according to Quaschning, this means: „In order to achieve the EU regulation target of a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the next ten years, a reduction in emissions of well over 55 percent by 2030 is necessary.“
The Scientists for Future criticize in particular that the draft lacks a grounding in science. In particular, there is a lack of binding, scientifically based controls of greenhouse gas reductions by independent review and advisory mechanisms. Prof. Felix Ekardt, Research Centre for Sustainability and Climate Policy, explains that it is necessary „to examine all economic sectors for their climate impact and to commit them to reduction targets.“ According to Ekardt, the latest IPCC report shows that the remaining emissions budget is only small to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, as promised in the Paris Climate Change Agreement: „Without a very large reduction by 2030, this budget will be exhausted well before 2050, with massive irreversible socio-ecological consequences.”
In their statement, the Scientists for Future state that they will closely monitor EU processes and the policies of the nation states and provide advice. They want to show options for action on how ambitious climate targets for the year 2030 can be achieved in a technically safe, socially just, and economically viable way.
Stellungnahme der S4F (german)
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Scientists for Future (S4F) is a non-partisan and non-institutional association of scientists who are committed to a sustainable future. As a grassroots movement, Scientists for Future actively contributes the current state of science in a scientifically sound and comprehensible form to the social debate on sustainability and securing the future. Further information: https://www.scientists4future.org