The EU Perspective from Setbacks to Success: Tackling Climate Change from Copenhagen to the Green Deal and the Next-Generation EU

While the world will remember 2020 as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also an exceptional year in at least one other aspect. Scientists at Copernicus and at NASA have confirmed that, globally, 2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record. It must be clear to all that the climate commitments we reach in 2021 will very likely shape the next decade. The stakes could not be higher for the climate action agenda. We are facing a crisis unprecedented in magnitude and reach. We need to transform the COVID crisis into an opportunity to build back better and pave the way for a more sustainable and just future. Advancing new and ambitious nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, and a re-alignment of global financial flows to tackle mitigation and adaptation must allow us to advance rapidly to meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. While the scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated, we have many reasons to feel confident about the path ahead. One of the reasons for optimism is that the key objectives of the green transition are in line with the spirit of the European Green Deal and with the vision embodied in the Next Generation EU as discussed in this chapter.