Climate Scorecard’s 2024 Government Climate Leadership Award is presented to a country official who has done the most to reduce emissions in their country’s government over the past year. Below is a copy of the letter sent to each nominee and why they were chosen to receive this award.

EU 2024 Climate Scorecard Award:

Wopke Hoekstra, EU Commissioner for Climate Action

Dear Mr. Hoekstra,

Climate Scorecard is writing this letter in recognition of your and DG CLIMA’s substantial climate work and would like to present you with the attached climate award. Climate Scorecard is a nine-year-old non-profit NGO that reports on and advocates for efforts to reduce emissions in leading greenhouse-emitting countries and the EU. More information about the organization can be found at the following link: https://www.climatescorecard.org/.

Climate Scorecard would like to thank you for your contributions to developing and implementing new climate legislation, such as the Green Deal Industrial Plan and Net Zero Industry Act, creating the Social Climate Fund, the REPower EU plan, and developing ETS 2. This legislation will significantly impact ensuring that the transition to net-zero emissions occurs more rapidly without leaving vulnerable individuals and groups behind. The increased solar and wind capacity that was developed as part of the REPower EU plan has also facilitated greater renewable use in the EU, and increased renewable capacity will be pivotal in the EU achieving its 2030 and 2050 climate goals.

In order to further reduce emissions and reach the EU’s 2030 goal of 42.5% of energy being produced by renewable sources, I would like to suggest that the EU continues to develop its renewable capacity over the next year. This will require continued engagement with private investors who can help fund the transition to renewable energy resources and a push for increased funding for EU climate funds such as the Innovation and Modernisation funds. Additional educational outreach efforts and financial incentives that encourage corporations and households to transition to renewable energy sources will also be beneficial in facilitating a more comprehensive usage of renewable energy.

Thank you again for your hard work and dedication to the green transition.

Kind regards,

Brittany Demogenes                                                 Ron Israel
EU Country Manager                                               Climate Scorecard Co-Founder

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2024 EU Climate Award

1. DG CLIMA
   1. Official-in-charge: Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner
2. According to the most recent Climate Action progress report that was published by the European Commission in 2023, some of DG CLIMA’s 2022 and early 2023 climate accomplishments include:
   1. Creation of the Social Climate Fund
      1. Addressed the impacts of carbon pricing in new sectors and worked to provide support for vulnerable households, micro-enterprises, and transport users
      2. Social climate measures and investments will be compiled in national Social Climate Plans following a public consultation. Member States will submit these plans to the European Commission by June 2025. The Commission will assess the plans and disburse payments to the Member States only if the milestones and targets set in the plans are achieved.
   2. Net Zero Industry Act was proposed on 16 March 2023
      1. Supports the setting up of specialized academies for up-skilling and re-skilling by lowering the administrative burden for net-zero manufacturing projects by streamlining administrative requirements and facilitating permitting, facilitating access to markets in public procurement procedures and auctions, as well as schemes aimed at supporting private demand by consumers and supporting innovation through regulatory sandboxes
      2. Sets up dedicated training programmes through Net-Zero Academies and facilitates the portability of qualifications in regulated professions
   3. REPowerEU plan
      1. Installed 41 GW of new solar capacity and increased wind capacity by 19 GW in 2022
      2. As a result, now 39% of the EU’s electricity comes from renewables
   4. Green Deal Industrial Plan
      1. Enhances the competitiveness of the EU’s net-zero industry through four pillars: predictable and simplified regulatory environment, faster access to funding, enhancing skills, and open trade for resilient supply chains
      2. Net-Zero Industry Act falls under this plan.
      3. Critical Raw Materials Act also falls under this plan, which ensures sufficient access to raw materials that are vital for manufacturing key technologies
      4. Amended the Temporary State Aid Crisis and Transition Framework
   5. A separate carbon pricing system was created for fuel combustion in road transport and buildings and small-emitting sectors, the EU Emissions Trading System 2 (ETS 2), with a 42% emission reduction target compared to 2005 across the sectors covered

3. Proposed next action:
   1. Increased development of renewable capacity
      1. Greater engagement with private investors in order to fund onshore wind expansion, solar, hydrogen, and geothermal resources, as well as increased funding for EU climate funds such as the Innovation Fund and Modernisation Fund
      2. Increased educational efforts and financial incentives for corporations and households