INTRODUCTION
Whereas the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreements and Net Zero Pledges are actions of international scale - or, at least, with practical implications at a global level, the EU Green Deal is a set of policies presented in 2019 by the European Commission, which strive at making the EU the first climate-neutral continent. All actions are hence contained within European legislative sovereignty.
MISSION OF THE EU GREEN DEAL
The EU Green Deal's mission is to transform society and the economy into a "modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy" [1]. The aim is threefold: Firstly, Cutting GHG Emissions in order to reach net-zero by 2050. This first target especially focus on decarbonising the energy sector, as the production and use of energy account for roughly 75prct of EU GHG Emissions, while increasing the use of renewable energy in the EU energy mix. The EU Energy mix by 2050 located in the gallery. Secondly, ensuring an economic growth decoupled from resource use and ecological harm (for a full understanding of the "ecological-economic decoupling" notion and how it is a key component of the EU Green Deal, see "Decoupling economic growth from environmental harm"}, released by the European Parliament in July 2020 [2]). Thirdly, ensuring to leave no person and no place behind, an objective supported by the implementation of the Just Transition mechanism. Mobilising from 65 to 75 billion euros between 2021-2027, the Just Transition Mechanism is "a key tool to ensure that the transition towards a climate-neutral economy happens in a fair way" [3]. Overall, the EU Green Deal is set to have multiple benefits such as renovated, energy efficient buildings, or cleaner energy and cutting-edge clean technological innovation [1]. In order to fully understand the EU Green Deal, we must first break it down and understand its constituting features. The Green Deal covers 50 European laws and public policies [4], ranging accross 8 policy areas [4]: Climate action; Clean Energy; Agriculture and Sustainable food system; Competitive and sustainable industry; Environment and oceans preservation; efficient, safe and environmentally friendly transport; Sustainable finance and regional development; and, lastly, research and innovation as a driver for transformative change [1]. The "EU Green Deal" figure in the gallery below offers a clear depiction of the combination of policy areas, targets and main thematic of the green deal, along with the various mechanisms implemented for an optimal transition. For an exhaustive account of said policy areas, please consult the annex of the EU Green Deal, which offer a classification of each climate action under the Green Deal, per general thematic. A decarbonisation tool such as the CBAM, for example, then discussed as a "Carbon Border Tax", has as a function to support the efforts towards climate neutrality. On the "timeline of the EU Green Deal" underneath, one can obtain a formalized timeline and evolution of the CBAM design, its simultaneous evolution alongside other policy proposal, and its interaction with the EU Green Deal as a whole.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] European Commission.(2019). The European Green Deal.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
[2] European Parliamentary Research Service.(2020). Decoupling economic growth
from environmental harm.
[3] European Commission.(n.d.). The Just Transition Mechanism: making sure no one is left behind.
[4] World Economic Forum.(2021). What you need to know about the European Green Deal - and what comes next.
