V Európskej únii je dnes len niekoľko miest, kde sa ešte nachádzajú staré lesy v prirodzenom stave, a väčšina z nich je veľmi malá. Zvyšky pralesov a pralesového porastu predstavujú len niečo menej ako 3 % celkovej zalesnenej plochy Európy. Ich jedinečnosť spočíva v tom, že nesú len malé či dokonca žiadne stopy ľudského zásahu. Ide o nedotknuté prírodné ekosystémy, v ktorých rastliny a živočíchy žijú nerušene už stáročia. Zohrávajú kľúčovú úlohu pri ochrane biodiverzity, absorbovaní a ukladaní oxidu uhličitého z atmosféry, zabezpečovaní pitnej vody, regulovaní miestnej mikroklímy, ale aj pri ochrane nášho zdravia. No a v neposlednom rade sú tiež domovom mnohých ohrozených druhov. 
Ochrana európskych lesov nie je len zodpovednosťou členských štátov. Ide o spoločnú úlohu Európskej únie ako celku, na ktorej sa významne podieľa aj Európsky parlament.

Ochrana pralesov v Európe

Európska únia je jedným z najlesnatejších regiónov sveta. Približne 40 % jej rozlohy pokrývajú lesy. Lesy sú životne dôležité nielen pre naše zdravie a pohodu, ale aj pre zdravie našej planéty. Ukrývajú bohatý živočíšny a rastlinný svet a sú nevyhnutné na boj proti zmene klímy. Európska únia si dobre uvedomuje, že lesy môžu v budúcnosti zohrávať významnú úlohu. Preto v roku 2021 prijala novú stratégiu pre lesy do roku 2030.

Stratégia EÚ pre lesy do roku 2030

Podľa Európskej komisie spotrebúvajú budovy v EÚ až 40 % energie Únie a produkujú až 36 % všetkých emisií skleníkových plynov. Hoci celá Únia sa dnes snaží obmedziť svoju spotrebu energie, na riešenie tejto situácie treba prijať naliehavé opatrenia. V marci 2023 prijal Európsky parlament návrhy opatrení na zvýšenie miery renovácií budov a výrazné zníženie energetickej spotreby a emisií skleníkových plynov.

Klimaticky neutrálne budovy do roku 2050 – slovenčina

One language disappears every two weeks, and up to 90 % of existing languages could be gone by the turn of the century. Globalisation, social and economic pressures and political options can determine whether a language survives. Multilingualism is a cornerstone of the European project, with 24 official and 60 minority languages. In a digital era, ensuring digital language equality can help preserve linguistic diversity.

EPRS STOA podcast - What if everyone spoke the same language?

Efforts to curb carbon emissions are falling short. As climate change impacts become all too clear, geoengineering is again in the spotlight. Some see it as a last-resort option to fight climate change. Detractors highlight the risks and uncertainties. Will governments end up ‘tinkering with Earth's thermostat’?

EPRS STOA podcast - What if we could engineer the planet to help fight climate change?

Covering nearly one third of the land surface of the globe, forests make a wide range of direct and indirect contributions to human well-being. Home to most of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, they also play an essential role in climate change mitigation, removing about a quarter of the CO2 that human activities add to the atmosphere. Worldwide, millions of hectares of forests and other types of vegetation burn every year. Fire dynamics are shaped by a complex set of factors, including human activity and climate.

EPRS policy podcast - Forest fires: Environmental stakes

Torn by climate change, food insecurity, uncontrolled population growth, political instability and terrorism, the Sahel poses an evolving threat on Europe’s doorstep, as the August coup in Mali has once again shown. With more or less success, the EU’s strategy for the region has tried to address the multiple factors of instability but the new action plan for the region will need to take the EU’s and Africa’s new geopolitical interests on board if it is to be more successful than its predecessor

EPRS policy podcast - Understanding the EU Strategy for the Sahel

Declining yields due to warmer temperatures and less rain, biodiversity loss, increased risk of floods… the impacts of climate change on European agriculture are irrefutable… But what impact does agriculture have on climate change? And what role can it play in helping address this challenge?

EPRS policy podcast - EU agricultural policy and climate change

Worldwide, forests are being lost at the alarming rate of 800 football fields per hour. With deforestation being a critical contributor to climate change and a leading cause of biodiversity loss, it is becoming increasingly clear that a sustainable future cannot be achieved without tackling deforestation and taking measures to protect- and sustainably manage forests.&nbsp; The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)&nbsp;estimates&nbsp;that 420 million hectares of forest — an area larger than the EU — were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. It is estimated that&nbsp;EU consumption represents around 10% of global deforestation.

&nbsp;In October 2020, Parliament made use of its&nbsp;prerogative in the Treaty&nbsp;to ask the Commission to&nbsp;come forward with legislation to halt EU-driven global deforestation.

MEPs have already called for strengthening the overall climate benefits from forests and the forest-based value chain, namely CO2 absorption and carbon storage in wood-based products. Parliament also emphasises the need to increase funding for research into the substitution of fossil fuels and fossil-fuel materials. Forests and the entire forest-based value chain are fundamental to further develop of the circular bio-economy, which delivers important climate change mitigation and adaptation services.Parliament wants binding targets to protect and restore forest ecosystems, especially primary forests (those that have not been been affected by people's actions in recent times).

Forest protection

The policies of the EU on climate and energy are described, as well as the challenges that must be faced in order to achieve the Paris Agreement target of keeping the increase in global temperature well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to achieve 1.5°C.

The EU faces major challenges from the increased threats of climate change, with serious consequences in the energy sector, where urgent issues are arising concerning the national production mix of each Member State. The renewable energy share needs to be increased, and energy efficiency needs to be improved.

Climate change (2019-2020)

Climate change remains a key challenge. The EU and the European Parliament are working to ensure a more sustainable society and economy through ambitious policies at home and close cooperation with international partners. It is already on track to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2020, and has put forward a plan to further cut emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

By 2050, Europe aims to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent. Alongside reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the EU is also taking action to adapt to the impacts of climate change. By 2050, Europe aims to be a climate-resilient society. Climate action is at the heart of the European Green Deal – an ambitious package of measures ranging from drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment.

Climate change

EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss further coordination on COVID-19, climate change, trade, security and external relations. On 11 December the leaders also meet for the Euro Summit.

They discuss the overall coordination effort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including work on vaccines and testing, they aim to agree a new EU emissions reduction target for 2030, they exchange views on the trade agenda, they address security issues and in particular the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. In line with its conclusions of October 2020, the European Council come back to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and relations with Turkey. Leaders also discuss EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood.

European Council, 10-11 December 2020

MEPs review the new US administration’s recent decision to pull back from a number of international organisations and agreements.

Following his inauguration on 20 January 2025, President Trump signed a large number of executive orders setting the priorities of the new US administration, including the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. Alongside Commission representatives, MEPs will discuss the impact of these decisions internationally and on the EU’s future involvement in these global initiatives.

Background

This is the second time the US has initiated the process of withdrawing from both the WHO and Paris Agreement.

During the first Trump administration (2017-2021), the US gave formal notice of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in November 2019 (which then took 12 months to take effect). Shortly after taking office, President Biden revoked the decision, with the US formally rejoining the agreement in February 2021. President Trump also started the withdrawal process from the WHO in 2020, but it was never finalised and the decision was reversed by the Biden administration.

Debate on the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, WHO and USaid

Plenary preparations. Political groups will prepare for the 10 - 13 February plenary session in which MEPs will debate the EU’s continued support for Ukraine after three years of Russia’s war of aggression, providing support to EU regions that border Russia, as well as the continued repression of the democratic opposition in Russia one year after the murder of Alexei Navalny. Plenary will also vote on a resolution on the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia, debate the Commission work programme for 2025, the recent proposals to boost the EU’s competitiveness, the consequences of the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and from the World Health Organisation, as well as the threats that strategic reliance on third countries in communication infrastructure pose to EU sovereignty.

Pre-session briefing

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) takes place from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing together global leaders and climate experts to establish a new post-2025 framework for climate finance and advance international climate action. The European Parliament participates from 18 to 22 November, contributing to discussions on EU climate commitments, financial support for sustainable development, and a fair climate finance goal that aligns with the polluter-pays principle and leverages diverse financial resources.

Key priorities at COP29 include defining finance mechanisms for developing countries, updating climate targets for 2025, and boosting global cooperation on carbon markets and emissions trading. The European Parliament underscores the importance of this conference as an opportunity for the EU to strengthen climate finance, particularly for vulnerable regions, and to support a stable mechanism for reliable, predictable climate funding.

European Parliament delegation to COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan

Plans to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions from the buildings sector are debated by plenary. 

The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, agreed with the Council in December, aims to substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption in the EU building sector by 2030, and have it achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The new rules also mean more of the worst-performing buildings will undergo renovation, and information-sharing on energy performance will be improved.
New buildings must be zero-emission as of 2030, and new buildings occupied or owned by public authorities must be zero-emission as of 2028. For residential buildings, member states have to put in place measures to ensure a reduction in the average level of primary energy used of at least 16% by 2030 and at least 20-22% by 2035.

Member states also have to adopt measures to decarbonise heating systems and phase out fossil fuels in heating and cooling with fossil fuel boilers being completely phased e out by 2040.

Plenary Debate - Energy performance of buildings

Earth Hour Day 2025: the European Parliament in Strasbourg switches off its lights on the occasion of the Earth Hour Day 2025.

EP Plenary session - Supporting the EU’s most vulnerable regions against devastating effects of climate change, such as the recent cyclone hitting La Reunion

EP Plenary session - US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid

EP Plenary session - Heat record year 2024 - the need for climate action to fight global warming

COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan - Meeting with members of the Azerbaijani Parliament

COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan - Meeting with Thoriq İbrahim, Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy of Maldives

COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging the individuals, communities, and businesses to switch off non-essential electric lights, for one hour as a symbol of commitment to the planet. The News shows the switch off the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on that occasion.

Earth Hour Day 2025: the European Parliament in Strasbourg switches off its lights

Following his inauguration on 20 January 2025, President Trump signed a large number of executive orders setting the priorities of the new US administration, including the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. Alongside Commission representatives, MEPs discuss the impact of these decisions internationally and on the EU’s future involvement in these global initiatives. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid: Opening statement by Hadja LAHBIB, European Commissioner for Equality, and European Commissioner for Preparedness

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid: Closing statement by Hadja LAHBIB, European Commissioner for Equality, and European Commissioner for Preparedness

Following his inauguration on 20 January 2025, President Trump signed a large number of executive orders setting the priorities of the new US administration, including the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. Alongside Commission representatives, MEPs discuss the impact of these decisions internationally and on the EU’s future involvement in these global initiatives.

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid: MEPs debate (part 3)

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid: MEPs debate (part 2)

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid: MEPs debate (part 1)

US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organisation and the suspension of US development and humanitarian aid: extracts from the debate

The European Parliament switches off its lights in Strasbourg for M'illumino di Meno campaign. The 'M'illumino di meno' campaign was launched by the Italian radio programme Caterpillar in 2005 and seeks to reduce private and public energy use. During its annual awareness-raising day, individuals and organisations are asked to make a symbolic gesture of support by switching off lights and all other non-vital electrical devices powered by non-renewable energy sources.

fight against climate change (T)

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