The forest sector in the 2030 EU climate policy framework

What is it about?

From 2021 onwards, forests and forestry will for the first time contribute to the European Union’s climate action targets. The new Land Use, Land Use Change & Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation commits Member States to achieve carbon neutrality on the basis of an EU-wide system. Based on the analysis of 67 documents related to decision-making on the lulucf Regulation, we explain why what looks like a significant step in the Union’s climate policy framework, however, leaves the large potential of Europe’s forest sector for climate mitigation untapped.

Featured Image

Photo by S N Pattenden on Unsplash

Photo by S N Pattenden on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We assess the role of forests in the European Union’s climate policy framework. Forests represent the major terrestrial carbon sink. Our findings reveal that the LULUCF regulation is less ambitioned than initially proposed, and that land use inclusion in Europe’s climate policy is not subordinated to its rationale that urgent action is needed. With Europe’s Green Deal in place, this might change in the future.