Hospodářské noviny | Climate is giving way to security and economy. However, easing off on green transformation now would be a strategic mistake

This year's elections to the European Parliament have sparked debates about continuing the European plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, despite recent events suggesting the need to reassess this plan. The election results did not signify as much of a setback for European green ambitions as anticipated. The priority of climate and environment is no longer as high among most Europeans as it was five years ago, reflecting current political and international challenges such as security, economic prosperity, and the competitiveness of European industry. Kateřina Davidova, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, wrote an opinion piece on this topic for Hospodářské noviny.

However, this does not mean that risks associated with climate change are not still very real. On the contrary, each year is warmer than the previous one, and damages exacerbated by climate change alone in the EU amount to over 50 billion euros annually. Moreover, Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the Czech Republic could expect warming up to twice the global average. If global temperature rise cannot be kept below 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, climate damages could reach 38 trillion dollars annually—six times more than the cost of measures needed for sufficiently rapid greenhouse gas emissions reduction worldwide.

You can read Kateřina Davidová's full commentary here.

Kateřina Davidová
Senior Research Fellow

Expertise: EU climate and energy policy, environmental protection