The European Parliament declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” on Thursday.
The motion passed with a comfortable majority, however, it still faced opposition, with 225 votes against and 19 abstentions. Some MEPs warned against making symbolic gestures – the Brexit Party voted against the motion and the European People’s Party was split over the language used, instead wanting to declare “a climate urgency”.
MEPs also on Thursday backed a resolution saying that current EU climate targets are “not in line” with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
The UK declared a climate emergency in May this year, though the declaration did not legally compel the government to take any specific actions regarding the climate crisis.
