The European Union has reached an agreement to reduce carbon emissions by 55% from 1990 levels within a decade
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU will reduce its carbon emissions by 55% from 1990 levels within a decade.
On December 11, 2020, EU leaders agreed to set ambitious targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 1990, compared to 1990 levels.
The agreement reached after more than 10 hours of talks overnight. In September, the European Commission proposed a 40% increase in the target, but some EU states met with resistance.
Between 1990 and 20180, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU fell by 24%, the Commission said. Already at the same time, the economy has grown by about 60%.
The new plan will require significant reforms in the energy and transport sectors and a considerable drive to renovate and rebuild buildings to increase efficiency in the power sector and charge electric vehicles.
EU officials say countries with high reliance on fossil fuels will need to invest heavily to carry out the reforms.
Announcing the plan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it had “set a clear path for climate neutrality in 2050.”
She tweeted: “This is a great thing to celebrate the first anniversary of our EUGreenDeal!” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the agreement was a “very, very important result.” “The discussion was good all night for that,” he added.
The protesters’ symbol is the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) held in Madrid in December 2019. There was a clock to signal that convention.
In a separate statement, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said, “the Berlin government had worked hard over the past few months to sign the agreement.”
Major coal-producing countries opposed the plan.
Other coal-based Central European countries, including Poland, have called for guarantees to pay for a clean energy transfer. These countries have said that it is unfair for all member states to commit to the same goal without considering their respective energy dependencies.
In seeking their approval, the other member states agree that the new goal must implement collectively.
Polish Prime Minister Matius Moraviewski says, “His country has achieved the goal in terms of additional cash from the EU Modernization Fund.”
The European Parliament, which is moving towards achieving a slightly higher goal, now needs to approve the Commission’s new exit target.
Both targets are lower than the UK’s targets, which is due to leave the EU’s single market and tariff union by the end of December 2020. However, it has promised that it will not harm the environmental standards.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that he wanted the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030.
World leaders agreed in Paris five years ago to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the 21st century. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, countries must submit updated climate targets by the end of 2020.
This means that if the world wants to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), time is running out.
The COP24 talks were rigorous, failing to reach a consensus on developing countries’ funding and how states would report their emissions reduction.
