Poland’s Rejection of the 2050 Carbon Neutral Deal Policy: A Constructivist Analysis of Relations with the European Union
Written by Alya Hanifah & Jessica Elvira Sinurat
The proliferation of industrial-era activities that drive human productivity has caused the Earth’s temperature to rise by about 1°C since 1880. In 2022 in particular, every month was the hottest month on average (NOAA, 2022). Global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase or even faster. In Europe in particular, 2020 was the warmest with an increase of 2.53°C-2.71°C. The highest levels of warming occurred in eastern Europe, northern Scandinavia and the Mediterranean (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2021). Sustained climate warming will continue to cause an increase in the frequency and intensity of climate extremes, bringing higher risks in the future. Some vulnerable systems, such as ecosystems and agricultural systems, will experience serious consequences. In particular, the world will face the consequences of sea level rise, coral reef degradation, and decreased monsoon rainfall.
Various countries have taken action to deal with climate change. Cooperation between countries has become a solution that eventually gave birth to many new policies, one of which is the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a conference in 2016 that discusses holding temperatures from rising above 1.5° C. To achieve this goal, greenhouse gas emissions must slow down before 2025. In addition to the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is also the answer to respond to this climate problem. One form of the success of the Paris Agreement is the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) submitted every five years to the UNFCCC.
Carbon Policy 2050.
The European Union has set a goal to achieve neutrality by 2050, thus marking the achievement of zero greenhouse emissions. This goal is at the core of the European Green Deal and is in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate change. The EU has set a legally binding target to achieve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as set out in European climate legislation. To achieve this goal, the EU has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to emissions observed in 1990. Achieving such ambitious goals requires fundamental economic change, which can only be achieved if smart people work together synergistically to accelerate the pace of transformation. The EU Emissions Trading System is an illustrative example of a carbon accounting system that helps reduce emissions and achieve carbon neutrality.
Coal and Poland’s Rejection of the EU’s Carbon Neutral Policy.
Poland’s rejection of a policy of climate neutrality by 2050 was the outcome of a summit held in Brussels, Belgium. Leaders of EU member states and Poland have agreed on a deal that aims for carbon neutrality by 2050.
An analysis of Poland’s rejection of the 2050 climate neutrality policy agreement reveals the role of the country’s reliance on coal for energy. With more than 80% of electricity coming from coal, transitioning to greener energy sources is a major challenge and requires huge investments, estimated at between 1,200 and 1,300 billion euros. Poland’s opposition also stems from concerns regarding the pace and impact of funding the transition to greener energy sources, as well as the need for more concrete assurances regarding the scale and scope of funding for the phase-out of fossil fuels. These factors contributed to Poland’s stance on the EU’s carbon neutrality agreement policy until 2050. Poland rejected the deal, but the EU offered assistance to the regions “most affected” by the fossil fuel phase-out. The French presidential office said in a statement that EU leaders will try to persuade Poland to join the Green Deal so that it can be implemented as soon as possible. Poland was granted an exemption from the climate neutrality agreement until 2050, but this remains controversial in the EU. The Czech Republic previously objected to a carbon neutrality agreement by 2050, but eventually agreed after the EU guaranteed its member states’ participation in the agreement. In this context, Poland’s rejection of the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Agreement illustrates the disagreement between EU member states on the measures to achieve carbon neutrality. It also shows how complex it is to reach an agreement that combines the interests of different EU member states to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
A constructivist analysis of the difficulties of climate consensus in the EU.
Constructivism is a theory that emphasizes the role of ideas, norms and identities in international relations. Constructivism has its roots in the critical theory school that played a major role in the development of the sociological perspective and expanded to other aspects of international relations issues. By analyzing Poland’s opposition to future EU carbon neutrality, the constructivist perspective highlights Poland’s role as a country heavily dependent on coal, which shapes its perception of the proposed policy. Poland’s heavy reliance on coal for energy production has been a major factor in this policy, as transitioning to cleaner sources and achieving carbon neutrality would require large investments in energy infrastructure and significant investments.
This rejection also highlights the differences in standards and within the EU, highlighting the complexity of reaching consensus on climate policy. Analysis of constructivist theory suggests that the rejection can be interpreted as the EU failing to build a shared understanding and collective identity around carbon neutralization. Within a constructivist framework, Poland’s political views are understood as the result of a common interpretation of social and environmental construction issues. Therefore, Poland’s rejection not only reflects differences in pragmatic approaches, but also fails to consider the shared perspectives needed to achieve effective agreement within the EU on the global climate challenge.
Conclusion.
Poland’s rejection of the 2050 Climate Neutrality Treaty Policy in the context of Constructivist analysis highlights the complex dynamics in the European Union regarding climate change. This is reflected in Poland’s dependence on coal, which shapes the way it views carbon neutrality policies. From a constructivist perspective, the differing standards within the EU highlight the difficulty of reaching consensus on climate policy, which can be interpreted as the EU’s failure to build a shared understanding and collective identity around carbon neutralization efforts. Moreover, demonstrating the challenge of reaching an effective climate agreement requires social construction and common interpretation of environmental issues at the EU level. It therefore reflects the complexities and domestic disputes that need to be overcome to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 at the EU level.
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