Brussels fiddles on climate target while Europe burns

BRUSSELS — On the streets and hills of Europe, every extreme heat alarm bell is ringing. But inside the air-conditioned Berlaymont, the EU’s supreme policymakers are sweating over whether now is the right time to push new climate targets.

On Wednesday in Brussels — where it is predicted to reach 34 degrees Celsius — the European Commission is set for a showdown over a proposed plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040.

The issue at stake: Some commissioners fear it is the wrong moment to take a bold stance on the heating climate. 

On Monday, a meeting of the chiefs of staff of the EU’s 27 commissioners ran well over time as multiple officials voiced hesitation about the timing and the proposal itself, according to two people familiar with the gathering.

One Commission official, granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door session, said around half the commissioners’ staff raised concerns about the 2040 target during Monday’s discussion.

The Commission has already made several concessions in its proposal — details of which were published by POLITICO — bowing to fear of a political backlash over new, ambitious climate targets. Most notably, the EU executive wants to let countries offshore a limited amount of their pollution cuts through investments in poorer countries.

The ructions in the Commission come after a dinner discussion during last week’s EU leaders’ summit, where French President Emmanuel Macron raised the prospect of delaying the proposal. 

On Wednesday, the commissioners themselves will meet to discuss the target before a final proposal is published later in the day.

“Apparently, we expect a heated discussion on the choice of timing for this law,” the official said.

Talk of delay appeared to be at odds with the rapidly worsening conditions right outside.

Experts are warning that thousands are likely to be killed either during the heat wave scorching wide parts of Europe, or from complications long after it passes. 

A heat dome, a weather pattern that traps hot weather, has settled over much of the continent, “exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress,” said Samantha Burgess, a climate specialist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Two people have already died in Italy — one from flash floods, the other a construction worker overcome by heat. 

In Seville, Spain, where European officials were attending a summit, temperatures soared well into the 40s.

Deadly heat waves have become a staple of every European summer. Every expert source agrees that climate change makes them much more frequent.