Europe's green transition is progressing beautifully, provided nobody looks too closely at the actual emissions. A September 2026 analysis found that EU carbon emissions fell by 2% during the first half of the year, barely half the annual reduction rate needed to meet the bloc's 2030 climate target. At the current pace, Europe could reach that emissions level around 2034. Unfortunately, the atmosphere has not yet agreed to Brussels' preferred deadline.
The European Commission continues announcing ambitious energy plans, complete with impressive targets, colourful charts and enough optimistic language to power a small country. Actual electricity grids, meanwhile, require construction, investment and considerably more than enthusiastic PowerPoint presentations. To be fair, renewable electricity is expanding, and emissions have genuinely declined. The problem is that politicians have developed a remarkable talent for announcing future achievements as though the announcement itself were an achievement.
A coal power station cannot be switched off by describing it as environmentally regrettable. Nor does a gas pipeline become sustainable because someone in Brussels has attached a green label to the folder containing its documentation. Perhaps the Commission should simply declare climate change administratively resolved. The planet may continue warming, but at least it will be doing so in violation of European regulations.