Sustainability Language

Policy & governance

European Climate Law

The EU law making climate neutrality by 2050 legally binding, with intermediate targets of −55% by 2030 and −90% by 2040.

Established · Version 0.1

Expert review openNo editor-accepted expert review yet

Definition

The European Climate Law — Regulation (EU) 2021/1119, in force since 29 July 2021 — writes the European Green Deal's climate goals into binding law: climate neutrality for the Union by 2050 (Article 2) and a net greenhouse gas reduction of at least 55% by 2030 versus 1990 (Article 4). A 2026 amendment added a binding 2040 target of −90%.

References

Overview

What it means

The law requires the Commission to assess collective and national progress every five years (aligned with the Paris stocktake), sets an indicative emissions trajectory, and created the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.

The 2040 amendment (Council adoption 5 March 2026) allows up to 5% of the 2040 effort via international credits from 2036 (leaving at least 85% domestic) and shifted the ETS2 start to 2028.

How it is used

Serves as the legal anchor for the Fit for 55 package, national climate planning and litigation testing the adequacy of EU climate action.

Why it matters

It converts political climate commitments into legal obligations with review machinery — the backbone of EU climate governance.

Review

Public comments appear only after editor acceptance. Draft comments stay in the review queue.

0
How people contribute

Reviewers choose the definition or an overview paragraph, leave a comment or replacement, and attach evidence or a source link.

How comments are used

Editors compare reviewer cards side by side. AI may help find agreement, conflicts, unsupported claims and possible source issues.

What gets published

Only an editor-accepted synthesis changes the public page. Reviewer identities are shown only with consent and verification.

No verified experts yet

Submitted reviews stay private until accepted.

Endorse this definitionSuggest a revisionSubmit a wider review

Loading verified endorsements… Endorsements are not votes and never determine publication.

Endorse this definition

Endorse the exact version shown here. This is not a vote, and publication remains an editorial decision.

v0.1

Sign-in supplies your email for verification and necessary follow-up; it is not displayed publicly. We do not ask you to enter it again.

Sign in with a passwordless email link before submitting.

Review board

Comment on a specific line. Each reviewer stays separate until an editor accepts a merged draft.

1Separate reviewer cards

Each person comments on the definition or overview in their own draft card, with role, evidence and suggested wording kept together.

2AI comparison

AI can compare comments against the current text, flag conflicting claims, surface missing evidence and identify where reviewers agree.

3Editor synthesis

An editor merges compatible suggestions into a draft change, checks sources, records disagreements and decides what can be published.

Text to reviewChoose the exact definition or overview paragraph.
Reviewer commentDraft only. Not public until editor accepted.
Definition
Reviewer identityYour signed-in account identifies the submission. We use its email only for verification and necessary follow-up, and never display it publicly.
Before you submit

This proposal follows the editorial and AI-assistance rules. The live definition will not change until an editor accepts it.

  • Add the proposed wording or note.
  • Explain why the change is needed.
  • Ready
  • Ready

Sign in with a passwordless email link before submitting.

You can still save a draft, but completing these items makes editorial review faster. Multiple reviewers can suggest changes on the same text. Editors compare, merge, accept or decline them before any public change.