World can count on EU’s continued climate leadership, von der Leyen says

ISTANBUL

The world can count on the European Union’s continued climate leadership, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

Speaking at the UN Climate Summit in New York, von der Leyen said the transition to clean energy was increasing, with investment increasing by almost 80% since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“Our emissions are down nearly 40% since 1990. They now represent only 6% of global emissions. We are on track to reach our 2030 target, that is to cut emissions by minus 55%,” she said.

Von der Leyen outlined that EU member states would formally submit their Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of COP30 and that they are working on a 2040 target for a proposed 90% emission reduction.

“That is our way to climate neutrality by 2050. And my message is that the world can count on the European Union's continued climate leadership,” she said.

For this effort, she said, the EU will remain the world's largest provider of climate finance, by mobilizing up to 300 billion euros to support the clean transition worldwide through their global gateway investment program.

Von der Leyen explained how the EU already supports over 300 million people in Africa by providing them access to electricity and clean cooking, outlining that this is not only a climate issue but “about basic human dignity because no mother, no child should die because of simply cooking dinner under abhorrent circumstances.”

The EU Commission chief also expressed her satisfaction in Brazil hosting COP30, where the Amazon rainforest, “the green lungs of our planet” is.

She said “there could be no better place to reaffirm our strong commitment to multilateralism.”