A clear majority of deputies in the European Parliament voted to declare a "climate emergency" in Europe on Thursday.
The resolution, largely symbolic, was passed by 429 votes in favor and 225 against out of 673 votes cast in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Nineteen members abstained.
EU lawmakers urged the European Commission to "fully ensure that all relevant legislative and budgetary proposals are fully compliant" with the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius on global warming, the parliamentary environmental committee said on Twitter.
The Oxford Dictionary defines a climate emergency as "a situation where urgent action is needed to reduce or stop climate change and avoid irreversible environmental damage."