EU leaders are set for a showdown on climate change at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, that could see the entire bloc adopt a target of going carbon neutral by 2050.
Officials say the “overwhelming majority” of member states – thought to be at least 22 out of 28 countries – have now agreed to the climate change plan in behind the scenes talks ahead of the meeting.
Just a few hold-outs, all member states in central and eastern Europe, were still against the proposal ahead of the the European Council meeting in Brussels.
On senior EU official said that “the mood is changing on the Council”, adding: “At this stage we are talking about the overwhelming of member states that would be ready to accept the objective.
“There is still no unanimity, and I think this will be the issue for this working session on first day afternoon.”
The official added that “a lot has changed since March” when the proposal only got a lukewarm reception from leaders, and that “member states you would never suspect” were also on-board with the proposal.
Momentum has built for the plan since the last European Council meeting earlier in the year, when just eight countries supported the move.
Theresa May committed the UK to the 2050 target last week, claiming Britain would become the first G7 country to legislate for the target.
The policy would be significant in the fight against climate change because it would represent climate action by the world’s second largest economy. Some countries have already pledged to go further, with Finland’s new government adopting a 2035 goal, and Labour proposing a 2030 goal for the UK.
1/46 Canary Wharf
A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
Reuters
2/46 City of London
Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London
Getty
3/46 Canary Wharf
Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
Reuters
4/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
PA
5/46 Oxford Circus
Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19
Getty
6/46 Waterloo Bridge
An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
PA
7/46 Heathrow airport
Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country’s main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital
Reuters
8/46 Oxford Circus
Protesters with the words ‘glued on’ written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus
Getty
9/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation
Reuters
10/46 Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation
AFP/Getty
11/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
PA
12/46 Waterloo Bridge
Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
13/46 Oxford Circus
British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP
14/46 Waterloo Bridge
An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge
PA
15/46 Waterloo Bridge
Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20
Reuters
16/46 Oxford Circus
Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new “citizens’ assemblies on climate and ecological justice”
Reuters
17/46 Oxford Circus
Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation
AFP/Getty
18/46 Heathrow airport
Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19
Reuters
19/46 Heathrow airport
Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport
Getty
20/46 Waterloo Bridge
Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge
Reuters
21/46 Marble Arch
Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day
Getty
22/46 Oxford Circus
British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat
AFP/Getty
23/46 Oxford Circus
Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator
PA
24/46 Oxford Circus
Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP/Getty
25/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
26/46 Canary Wharf
Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London
Reuters
27/46 Waterloo Bridge
Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge
AFP/Getty
28/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
29/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
30/46 Oxford Circus
Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus
Getty
31/46 Jeremy Corbyn’s Home
Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s house
Reuters
32/46 Marble Arch
Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation
Reuters
33/46 Canary Wharf station
Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station
EPA
34/46 Oxford Circus
Police forces carry a protester
AP
35/46 Canary Wharf station
A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train
AFP/Getty
36/46 Waterloo Bridge
PA
37/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
38/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
39/46 Oxford Circus
PA
40/46 Oxford Circus
Getty
41/46 Waterloo Bridge
Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge
AP
42/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
43/46 Waterloo Bridge
A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers
Reuters
44/46 Waterloo Bridge
Protestors sit on the road
AP
45/46 Waterloo Bridge
PA
46/46 Oxford Circus
AP
1/46 Canary Wharf
A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
Reuters
2/46 City of London
Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London
Getty
3/46 Canary Wharf
Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
Reuters
4/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
PA
5/46 Oxford Circus
Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19
Getty
6/46 Waterloo Bridge
An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
PA
7/46 Heathrow airport
Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country’s main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital
Reuters
8/46 Oxford Circus
Protesters with the words ‘glued on’ written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus
Getty
9/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation
Reuters
10/46 Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation
AFP/Getty
11/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
PA
12/46 Waterloo Bridge
Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
13/46 Oxford Circus
British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP
14/46 Waterloo Bridge
An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge
PA
15/46 Waterloo Bridge
Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20
Reuters
16/46 Oxford Circus
Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new “citizens’ assemblies on climate and ecological justice”
Reuters
17/46 Oxford Circus
Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation
AFP/Getty
18/46 Heathrow airport
Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19
Reuters
19/46 Heathrow airport
Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport
Getty
20/46 Waterloo Bridge
Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge
Reuters
21/46 Marble Arch
Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day
Getty
22/46 Oxford Circus
British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat
AFP/Getty
23/46 Oxford Circus
Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator
PA
24/46 Oxford Circus
Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP/Getty
25/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
26/46 Canary Wharf
Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London
Reuters
27/46 Waterloo Bridge
Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge
AFP/Getty
28/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
29/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
30/46 Oxford Circus
Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus
Getty
31/46 Jeremy Corbyn’s Home
Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s house
Reuters
32/46 Marble Arch
Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation
Reuters
33/46 Canary Wharf station
Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station
EPA
34/46 Oxford Circus
Police forces carry a protester
AP
35/46 Canary Wharf station
A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train
AFP/Getty
36/46 Waterloo Bridge
PA
37/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
38/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
39/46 Oxford Circus
PA
40/46 Oxford Circus
Getty
41/46 Waterloo Bridge
Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge
AP
42/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
43/46 Waterloo Bridge
A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers
Reuters
44/46 Waterloo Bridge
Protestors sit on the road
AP
45/46 Waterloo Bridge
PA
46/46 Oxford Circus
AP
The changing political atmosphere comes after Europe-wide school strikes against climate change, protests by groups like Extinction Rebellion, and a surge in support for Green parties at the European elections.
The policy would be included in the EU’s strategic agenda, which is drawn up every five years with each change of Commission and round of European Parliament elections.
Source link
