Europe

I'm glad the EU looked at this record breaking summer and determined that more of this is exactly what was needed

When the environment is the enemy of business, the environment loses.

The climate crisis is accelerating

The reforms would relax the rules of the bloc's emissions trading system (ETS) to give businesses more time to reduce their carbon output than previously planned.

WE DON’T HAVE MORE TIME. THE TIMETABLE WAS TOO LONG ALREADY.

We are SO fucked, and will continue to be fucked as long as the decisions are made by people who will be dead before things get really bad.

I propose we relocate the EU commission in Vanuatu

Business as usual, Venus by Tuesday.

If even the EU starts slowing climate measures, it risks sending the message that every target is negotiable. Businesses need predictable rules, not repeated delays. The longer emissions cuts are postponed, the steeper and more expensive they’ll ultimately become.

Aren’t they the main problem anyway? They’re gonna double down on telling individuals they’re killing the planet because they left a light on or didn’t sort mixed plastics for recycling.

We’re fucked

This is definitely on brand. Businesses get to do anything they want because “economy bad”. While all citizens get told to bend over and take the new environmental regulations up the ass.

changes would ensure the ETS was aligned with the EU's goal to reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2040, compared with 1990 levels.

This is not good, it would be much better if the EU would reduce its emissions faster as the bloc isn't on track to meet the Paris goal.

The sad thing is that the EU is nevertheless among those world regions that rank ahead of others when it comes to emission reduction, especially when we compare large emitters. While the EU plans to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, the world's worst emitter China plans to do so by 2060.

For comparison you may look here.

Wopke Hoekstra is a spineless ghoul

We need more heatwaves and natural catastrophes for the electorate to understand that voting for business is voting against themselves, their futures, and lives. Until people understand that, they'll keep voting for politicians that are beholden to businesses. But it's not just voting, they have to clean up their own small corner of the world by caring more about who and where they buy from, and changing habits:

• you don't need to heat your home to a level where you can wear shorts in winter
• you don't need to cool you home to a level where you can wear a sweater in summer
• ask for doggy bags at the restaurant and buy less perishable goods if you cannot consume them in time
• look where your products are coming from and try to buy local goods and services
• use public transport, a bike, or your legs where possible
• and much more

If people just wave of personal responsibility, blaming "those up there" and "that problem group" are just shifting blame and they are/become part of the problem.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but this was really necessary. The problem with the previous legislation is that it assumed the rest of the world would also make shifts. However, the return of “Drill, baby, drill” in the US and the loss of energy from Russia caused the EU to have quite an isolated green agenda with energy prices that make the European industry uncompetitive.

And you are not going to get anything done when you lose your industry and millions are out of their jobs. If there is a path forward towards a green future, it will have to be done while keeping your industry alive and intact. You can’t just phase out the main source of energy of the past century and then assume all will be well. What would happen is that Europe would lose all its industry and become impoverished in the process.