The EU will control 'the science' and, by de facto, Britain's NET ZERO policy.
Rishi Sunak announced that Britain is to rejoin the EU's 'flagship' science programme 'Horizon', but neglected to mention what the programme actually is.
Far from being a harmless collaboration of scientific researchers, Horizon is a Europe-wide monopoly on 'science' and an obsession with Climate Change. Rejoining the Horizon project means Rishi Sunak has given control of Britain's climate policy directly to the EU.
The EU will control 'the science' and, by de facto, Britain's NET ZERO policy with it.
About the deal Sunak said: “We have worked with our EU partners to make sure that this is the right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities, and also the right deal for British taxpayers.”
The deal was sealed after a call between Sunak and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday night. According to a Downing Street statement, the UK will also rejoin the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation satellite programme, which has been crucial in monitoring this summer’s weather events, including wildfires across Europe.
The EU Horizon project website proudly states:
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billionEN•••.
'It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.'
'The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.'
Horizon Missions
Horizon Europe incorporates research and innovation missions to increase the effectiveness of funding by pursuing clearly defined targets. The Commission engaged policy experts to develop studies, case studies and reports on how a mission-oriented policy approach will work.
The five 'missions' are:
The importance of climate-neutral and smart cities
Cities play a pivotal role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the goal of the European Green Deal. They take up only 4% of the EU’s land area, but they are home to 75% of EU citizens. Furthermore, cities consume over 65% of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions.
Since climate mitigation is heavily dependent on urban action, we need to support cities in accelerating their green and digital transformation. In particular, European cities can substantially contribute to the Green Deal target of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030 and, in more practical terms, to offer cleaner air, safer transport and less congestion and noise to their citizens.
Aims of the Mission
The Cities Mission will involve local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to
Deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
Ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050
EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change
The Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change focuses on supporting EU regions, cities and local authorities in their efforts to build resilience against the impacts of climate change. The Mission contributes to putting the EU’s adaptation strategyEN••• in practice by helping the regions to
better understand the climate risks they are and will be confronted with in the future
develop their pathways to be better prepared and cope with the changing climate
test and deploy on the ground innovative solutions needed to build resilience
The Mission’s objective is to accompany by 2030 at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience.
Who's it for?
EU countries, regions and cities have an essential role to play in implementing the Mission as they are key agents of change in deploying new technologies and experimenting innovative solutions that address regional and local needs. The Mission aims to get a wide range of regions and communities on board and assist them, alongside their national adaptation strategy, on their specific journey, whether they are just starting out or are already taking steps towards adaptation to climate risks.
Regional and local authorities that share the ambitions of the Mission have manifested their interest on EU Survey to sign the Mission Charter and join the Mission. They declared their willingness to cooperate, mobilise resources and develop activities in their respective region and communities to reach their adaptation goals.
Other entities, such as research institutions or businesses were invited to endorse the Charter and join the Mission’s community of organisations working together towards climate resilience as Friends of the Mission.
The total number of signatories to the Mission Charter now stands at 308EN••• from 25 EU countries, with 17 more parties coming from countries associated or potentially associated with Horizon EuropeEN•••, the EU's research and innovation programme.
The EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change portalEN••• was launched on 1 April 2023, providing relevant knowledge, data and resources to European regional and local authorities to prepare and plan for climate resilience.
The main goal of the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' is to establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.
Life on Earth depends on healthy soils. Soil is the foundation of our food systems. It provides clean water and habitats for biodiversity while contributing to climate resilience. It supports our cultural heritage and landscapes and is the basis of our economy and prosperity.
The 8 Mission objectives
reduce desertification
conserve soil organic carbon stocks
stop soil sealing and increase re-use of urban soils
reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
prevent erosion
improve soil structure to enhance soil biodiversity
reduce the EU global footprint on soils
improve soil literacy in society
The Mission will support the EU’s ambition to lead on global commitments, notably the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and contribute to the European Green DealEN••• targets on sustainable farming, climate resilience ,biodiversity and zero-pollution. It is also a flagship initiative of the long-term vision for rural areas.
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