European Green Deal and Climate Change Policy Frameworks

Posted on Feb 22, 2026 in Geography and Environment

European Green Deal (EGD)

It’s a roadmap to ensure Europe’s sustainability economy by 2050. Actions include:

  • Investment plan for the EGD and the Just Transition Mechanism.
  • Climate Law to guarantee climate neutrality by 2050.
  • Action Plan for Circular Economy: sustainable use of resources.
  • Sustainable food systems, such as Farm to Fork.
  • Biodiversity Strategy.

GHG Emissions Sectors: ETS vs. Non-ETS

1. ETS (Emissions Trading System): Subject to emissions rights trading (power generation, refineries, and large industrial facilities).

2. Non-ETS: Not covered by ETS.

  • 2.1. Diffuse Energetic: Residential, commercial & institutional, transportation, industry not subject to emissions trading.
  • 2.2. Diffuse Non-Energetic: Agriculture & livestock, waste management & fluorinated gasses.

5 Main Categories of the CRF? Who Made Them? Why Was CRF Created? What Is It Used For?

The CRF (Common Reporting Format) is a standardized format made by the IPCC for reporting Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The 5 main categories are:

  1. Energy
  2. Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU)
  3. Agriculture
  4. Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)
  5. Waste

It was created to track changes and evolution in emissions.

IPCC?

IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Created in 1988 by UNEP and WMO for assessing the science related to Climate Change (CC).

IPCC Reports?

Used to inform governments so they can develop climate policies and in international negotiations on CC.

Working Groups (WGs)?

  • WG1: Scientific basis.
  • WG2: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability.
  • WG3: CC mitigation.

Types of Reports of IPCC?

Three types: Assessment Reports (AR), Special Reports, and Methodology Reports. Every six years, the IPCC publishes reports covering every aspect of CC at the scientific, technical, and socioeconomic levels.

Confidence Levels of the IPCC Conclusions?

The IPCC conclusions provide the level of confidence in five levels, from very high to very low, calculated with statistical significance.

Adaptation vs. Mitigation

Adaptation = adjusting to climate impacts. Mitigation = reducing emissions.

RCP Scenarios? SSP5-8.5?

Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios are built based on the quantity and speed of GHGs emitted. SSP5-8.5 is a high-emission scenario. The ‘5’ refers to the socioeconomic trajectory, and ‘8.5’ is the approximate level of radiative forcing reached in 2100 in W/m².

AR6 Report?

The 6th Assessment Report (AR6) is the latest major assessment by the IPCC on CC. It illustrates five emission scenarios covering a wide range of future evolution of anthropogenic drivers of CC. Published in multiple parts from 2021 to 2023, it provides an evaluation of the knowledge on CC, its impacts, and options for mitigation and adaptation. It is structured in four parts:

  • Synthesis Report
  • Science Basis of CC
  • Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
  • Mitigation

Describe 3 CC Mitigation Strategies in the 6th AR of the IPCC.

  1. Transition from fossil energy to low or zero-carbon energy (requires important transitions).
  2. Improving energy efficiency, electrification, and shift to sustainable fuels.
  3. Implement CO2 removal.

Objectives of the Paris Agreement

General Objective: Strengthen the global response to the threat of CC, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.

Specific Objectives:

  1. Limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, with reference to pre-industrial levels.
  2. Increase adaptability to the adverse effects of CC and promote climate resilience.
  3. Promote development with low GHG emissions, decarbonize activity, and reach a balance between emissions and absorption of anthropogenic GHGs (Carbon neutrality, carbon-neutral economy).
  4. Place financial flows on a trajectory that leads to climate-resilient development with low GHG emissions.

NDCs?

The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is a forecast that indicates a country’s GHG emissions targets. Every five years, countries communicate their emitted and absorbed GHGs in the UNFCCC CRF to assess collective progress and report on new individual measures. These must feature a progressive reduction achieved with a plan to fight CC.

Mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol to Make GHG Emissions More Flexible?

  1. ETS (Emissions Trading System): Market-based system for buying/selling emission rights between industrialized and non-industrialized countries, based on the “Cap and Trade” principle.
  2. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): Incentivizes industrialized countries to invest in emission reduction projects in developing countries (e.g., China, LATAM, India, Brazil, Oceania).
  3. Joint Implementation (JI): Allows countries to invest in emission reduction projects in economies in transition (e.g., Eastern Europe, Russia, and former Soviet Republics) to lower their own emissions.

And the Fit for 55 Agreement? What Is Its Overall Objective? How Does It Affect Vehicle Emissions?

The Fit for 55 package (proposals from 2021) aims to review and update EU legislation to achieve the EU’s climate goals: climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Indicate at least 2 of its initiatives:

  1. More sustainable transport: Including infrastructure for charging points and access to electrical connection for ships in ports.
  2. Reduce Methane (CH4) emissions, mainly in refineries.