Thursday 4 May 2023

‘EU must reshape everything it does to reach climate-neutrality’

The EU needs to transform all its systems for production and consumption to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050.

That’s according to the European Environment Agency (EEA), which claims that although the EU has taken commendable action against climate change it is still not doing enough to quash emissions entirely.

From 1990 levels, the EU managed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020 – with the original target set for this date at 20%.

Renewable energy growth and a decrease in the use of fossil fuels are attributed to this achievement by the EEA.

As well as changing the infrastructure and systems of Europe, the report stresses that restoring nature, preventing deforestation and promoting sustainable land use will all be critical in the next stages of EU targets.

These include a 55% drop in emissions by 2030, leading to net zero by 2050.

Responsible for 6% of the world’s emissions, the study highlights that without cooperation with the rest of the world, the EU’s own aims cannot be realised.

The drop in methane emissions also needs to speed up to keep the 2050 goal in sight – although currently there was a 36% decrease from 1990 levels in 2020.

The EEA states: “Reducing and avoiding our emissions requires us to reshape everything we do – from how we power our economy and grow our food, to how we travel and live and the products we consume.”