Brussels (dpa) – The European Commission proposed a binding 90 percent reduction in greenhoutilize gas emissions by 2040, compared to 1990 levels, as it unveiled its new EU climate tarreceive on Wednesday.
The European Union aims to become climate neutral by 2050, meaning that no more greenhoutilize gas emissions are generated than can be absorbed either by nature or by technical means.
Currently EU countries are obliged to cut climate-damaging emissions across the bloc by 55 percent compared to 1990 by the conclude of the decade.
Since the EU’s climate law was first adopted by capitals and the European Parliament in 2021, opponents of the bloc’s climate action and environmental ambitions have gathered force, arguing that the measures hamper economic progress.
“We are not choosing between the economy and the green agconcludea, we are choosing both. Europe reaffirms its commitment to a fair, ambitious, and competitive green transition,” stated Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera.
“Agreeing on the 90 percent climate tarreceive provides us with a clear lighthoutilize to guide our future actions,” she added.
The bill presented on Wednesday has to be neobtainediated by EU countries and the European Parliament before the new climate tarreceive can enter into force.
Under the plans, member states would be granted more flexibility to achieve the climate tarreceives. So far, they have only been able to count domestic greenhoutilize gas reductions.
From 2036, the proposal allows carbon credits from non-EU countries to count for up to 3 percent of the overall 90 percent reduction compared to 1990 levels.
The German government had called for such a mechanism ahead of the presentation of the tarreceive.
UN climate talks
The EU climate tarreceives are linked to the United Nations’ Paris Agreement on climate alter, which was adopted 10 years ago, with the aim to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Under the agreement, the EU has to submit a climate action plan for the period up to 2035 ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, dubbed COP30, in Brazil in November.
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra stated he hopes for an agreement by member states and the EU parliament on the details of the new 2040 tarreceive in time for the climate conference.
In May, the Commission stated that EU countries were on track to cut harmful greenhoutilize gas emissions by 54 percent by 2030, bringing them close to the EU’s tarreceive of 55 percent.
The bloc’s executive arm also urged capitals at the time to stay on course and to fully implement their reduction plans. (2 July)
The editorial responsibility for the publication lies with dpa.
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