Estonia

Estonia ranks 14th in this year’s CCPI, down nine places from the previous year. The country receives a high rating in GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, and Energy Use, and a low in Climate Policy.

A new Climate Act is currently being developed, presenting emissions reduction targets for different benchmark years compared with 1990 (2030: 59%, 2035: 71%, 2040: 82%, and 2050: climate neutrality). The baseline for the targets was 2022 in the draft Act. This means the 2030 target is for emissions to not exceed 2022 levels, which corresponds to a 59% reduction compared with 1990. The CCPI country experts note that the Act delays GHG emissions reductions in Estonia until after 2030.

No Commitment to Phasing Out All Fossil Fuels Despite the Large Renewables Share

Estonia has a large share of renewable energy in its mix. A large part of this is produced through biomass, which has led to conflicts due to deforestation. Estonia exports biomass to other countries, such as Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The government has communicated a target of phasing out oil shale for energy use by 2035 and an overall phase-out by 2040. However, the newest oil shale plant was completed this year. There has not been a commitment to phase out all fossil fuels.

The experts welcome Estonia’s efforts to expand wind and solar power. Their main demand for Estonia is that the Climate Change Act include science-based emissions reduction targets that reflect the country’s fair share of the global carbon budget. Also, they urge for a push to phase out fossil fuels and contribute more to international climate finance (e.g. UN Loss and Damage Fund).

Key Outcomes

CCPI Experts

National experts that contributed to the policy evaluation of this year’s CCPI chose to remain anonymous.