European Union lawmakers agreed to a plan to support the protection of nature and hopes of fighting against climate change after intense negotiations.
On Wednesday, the EU's parliament backed the major plan in a cliffhanger vote with the 27-nation bloc's global green credentials at stake. The decision comes after several weeks of intense opposition against the plan.
EU Passes Major Nature and Climate Change Plan
The legislature opted to support the general outlines of a European Commission bill in a narrow 336-300 vote with 13 abstentions, sending it onward to negotiations with the member states. The plan is crucial to the EU's European Green Deal, which seeks to establish the world's most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets.
In a statement, MEP Mohammed Chahim of the center-left Socialists and Democrats Group said that the vote marks a significant milestone in the region's commitment to fulfilling the Green Deal.
Furthermore, the plans proposed by the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, have set binding restoration targets for specific habitats and species. It aims to cover at least 20% of the region's land and sea areas by 2030, as per PBS News Hour.
Despite opposition to the plan from the European People's Party, the legislature's largest group, the plan was able to move forward after receiving sufficient support in the highly anticipated vote held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
On the other hand, the Christian Democrats' EPP opposition highlighted the fundamental issues in Europe regarding ways of dealing with climate issues. Despite the numerous droughts, floods, and heat waves that have increasingly gripped countless areas in the region, the EPP wanted to delay the approval of such environmental action.
The group wanted to focus on economic competitiveness first over the next five years. Supported by other conservatives and the far right, it said the plans would only undermine food security, fuel inflation, and hurt farmers in the long run. However, thousands of scientists and multinational companies urged support for the proposed plans.
Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity in the Region
The plan marks the first piece of legislation to protect EU biodiversity in the last three decades. According to CNN, the vote comes as the world is facing a biodiversity crisis due to various factors, including land clearing, pollution, and climate change.
In a statement, Greenpeace's Central and Eastern Europe biodiversity project manager Spela Bandelj said that the vote comes as another unprecedented heat wave grips Europe. She noted that we need nature to survive climate breakdown and ensure sufficient food supplies.
Despite the vote on the plan, negotiations on a final version could take several months, but recent developments require the bloc in principle to pass the measure into law. Parliament approved the bill, a modified version of the original post.
Previously, lawmakers submitted more than 2,300 amendments to the proposal amid internal accusations of spreading disinformation. Initially, the law failed to pass three committee votes after marathon late-night sessions, said the New York Times.
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