BRUSSELS — The European Commission is about to release a controversial new climate milestone, setting the bloc’s economic course for the next 15 years and seeking to revive the flagging fight against global warming.
Most EU governments, however, would prefer Brussels drop the issue.
That’s sent EU officials hunting for loopholes that can convince skeptical governments to back a high-number emissions target for 2040, even if it comes with industry-friendly compromises in the fine print.
It’s an awkward balancing act that has left the EU executive on the verge of proposing contentious changes to how the bloc calculates its carbon footprint — dismaying its own scientific advisers. But a loophole-free 2040 target has little backing, a POLITICO survey of the EU’s 27 environment and climate ministries found.
