EU puts forth a long-term strategy to cut GHG emissions down to net-zero by 2050
Author: Jessica Sam
Climate change has become a crucial challenge to curb. On account of extensive industrial growth, the world has experienced an indisputable rise in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions over the last century. Climate change being a rising problem in Europe, taking immediate climate action was paramount to sustain favourable living conditions for the future. Consequently, the European Union (EU) drafted a climate action strategy to achieve a climate-neutral European economy in 2050.
The European Commission — the executive branch of the EU laid out its vision to make the European Union climate-neutral in November 2018. In March 2021, the EU proposed the 2050 climate-neutrality target into the European Climate Law. Before coming into effect, this strategy was widely assessed by institutions, parliaments, non-governmental organisations and communities across Europe and holds similar objectives to the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement. Identical to the European Green Deal, this strategy sets out to accomplish a climate-neutral economy with net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 — an economy where the total amount of GHG emission is balanced out naturally by the environment. To achieve this, the EU has adopted the central aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming by keeping the global increase in temperature within 1.5°C – 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
Reaching the 2050 climate-neutrality requires the participation of all social and economic sectors of the EU. From transport to energy, industry, agriculture, finance, research and trade. However, empowering citizens to take climate action and investing in practical technological solutions remain at the heart of the EU’s plan for a cost-effective and socially balanced transition into climate neutrality.
The European Commission has fervently stated that the transition into climate-neutrality will generate sustainable economic growth by bringing about new business models, markets, employment opportunities and technological developments. Sustainable growth will provide better health and environmental benefits for the citizens of Europe. The EU has also stated that this long-term strategy could induce global competitiveness and promote the innovation of green technologies.
The European Climate Law assigns all EU member states to develop their national long-term strategies for mitigating their GHG emissions. The results of these strategies and their progress get reviewed every five years to reach the climate-neutrality goal in 2050. Furthermore, the European Commission has proposed a new 2030 target to reduce GHG emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990. The EU has also proffered to set an intermediate climate-neutrality target for 2040 in the forthcoming years.
Image Credits: Christian Lue on Unsplash
Reference: ec.europa.eu
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