Glossary
Glossary
Terminology
Building blocks are the economic sectors, such as energy, transport or industry, and cross-cutting areas, such as finance, innovation, and lifestyles, in which transformation is needed to achieve a climate neutral society by 2050, and across which ECNO tracks progress.
Building block assessment
Acceleration factor
Or the ‘required change in speed’ is the ratio of the required change versus the past change on a given indicator. This results in the example formulation: ‘We need to increase our annual emission reductions to at least 4.9 Mt CO2e per year – or 2.6 times faster than the 1.9 MtCO2e per year achieved in the past’.
Benchmarks
Future reference points against which progress for each indicator is compared. ECNO derives benchmarks from official EU sources, such as directives, regulations, strategies, and action plans, including their related impact assessments. Benchmarks often come in the form of quantified policy goals or targets.
Climate neutrality
Stands for the objective of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This means that emissions are brought down as close to zero as possible, with remaining, difficult to abate emissions balanced by GHG removals within a given country or region.
Enablers
The supporting conditions and underlying changes needed to meet the objectives in a given building block. They are the opposite of barriers or inhibitors.
Historical data
Includes, but is not limited to, statistics from Member States harmonised and provided by Eurostat or the European Environment Agency (EEA) as well as from international organisations such as the OECD, FAO, or World Bank.
Indicators
Track the historical development and status of enablers and objectives based on quantitative data. An assessment of indicator progress compares the trend against the required development to meet a future reference point, where data and relevant benchmarks are available.
Objectives
Describe what needs to be achieved in each building block to reach climate neutrality.
Required change
The change that underlies a pathway that meets the identified benchmark or target. Where benchmarks are missing, the required change indicates a direction and speed of change.
Trend
The development of an indicator over time based on historical data. ECNO’s trendline is a straight, best-fit line that smooths out the variation in historical developments based on all data points, providing a sense of the general progress over time.
Storing more carbon in trees
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Key enabler insights: Storing more carbon in trees
Forests are the key land solution for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. But progress is still moving in the wrong direction.
Despite recent signs of decreasing net LULUCF removals, forest area and carbon stock in forest land has grown between 2016 and 2021, mostly in France. Additionally, Italy and Bulgaria are driving positive change in forest area, and Poland and Germany show promising developments in terms of growing carbon stock in forest land. Overall, there still is a lack of a coordinated forest policy framework, harmonising forest regulations across regions and fostering carbon sequestration and ecosystem restoration.
Diving deeper: progress towards storing more carbon in trees
EU-wide progress
Forests are the key land solution for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. But progress is still moving in the wrong direction. The carbon stock in forest land as well as forest area are increasing, but at a decreasing growth rate. France is the primary Member State driving the increase of forest area and carbon stock (reporting a steady growth rate despite recent signs of decreasing net LULUCF removals, followed by Italy and Poland.
Progress in Member States
For the indicators, progress in towards storing more carbon in trees has been assessed and compared in EU Member States.
Policy context and areas of action
Current EU policies seem insufficient to deliver the required increases in forest carbon stores. The EU has few competencies for forestry policy, which is set mostly at the national level. The EU’s LULUCF Regulation mandates net GHG removal targets for natural sinks, with forests as the key component. The proposed Nature Restoration Law sets goals by 2030 to enhance forest ecosystems. The Forestry Strategy lays out a plan to protect existing forests and increase cover. The CAP provides financial incentives. The proposed Forestry Monitoring Law aims to improve the knowledge base. Most Member States have targets to increase forest area, trees planted and improve sustainable forest management. However, targets are often unclear regarding details and implementation plans. The EU (through the CFCR) and some of its Member States (e.g., France) have implemented or are considering voluntary certification schemes for forest carbon removals.
To achieve the LULUCF target and enhance other forest ecosystem services, the EU should follow-up on its own guidance to Member States on sustainable forest practices and further promote restoration, reforestation and sustainable management (including a shift towards more near-natural forests, to additionally support other ecosystem services such as biodiversity conservation). It is also crucial that certified removals are of high integrity. The CAP’s impact on sustainable forest practices could be improved through capacity building to help landowners implement CAP measures, while applying robust monitoring techniques to ensure that the measures have been implemented.
