In the report ‘Scientific advice for amending the European Climate Law – Setting climate goals to strengthen EU strategic priorities’, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change calls on the European Union to maintain high climate ambition as it revises the European Climate Law to include a 2040 target, and recommends a 90-95% net domestic greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040 to support Europe’s long-term interests and reach climate neutrality by 2050.
Rising greenhouse gas emissions have already driven global temperatures up by 1.3–1.4 °C, fuelling extreme climate events and putting Earth systems on the brink of irreversible damage. As the EU prepares to set its 2040 climate target in law, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change urges policymakers to act on scientific evidence and maintain momentum. Amid mounting geopolitical and economic pressures, sustained climate action is essential to underpin the structural transformations needed for Europe’s long-term prosperity, security, and resilience.
In the report, the Advisory Board revisits its 2023 recommendation in light of today’s evolving context, including overlapping crises and the strategic priorities of the 2024–2029 European policy cycle. It reaffirms that a net domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, by 2040, in the range of 90–95% below 1990 levels remains scientifically robust and aligned with the EU’s broader strategic objectives, offering a credible pathway to the legally binding climate neutrality goal by 2050.