90 percent less CO₂: EU Commission proposes climate target for 2040

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Nochten brown coal power plant and opencast mine near Weißwasser in Saxony

Photo: Sven-Erik Arndt / imagebroker / IMAGO

On the path to climate neutrality, the EU Commission wants to reduce the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 2040. The authority presented a corresponding recommendation for a climate target to the Strasbourg European Parliament. It plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90 percent by this year compared to 1990.

Sectors that can save greenhouse gases include industry, transport and agriculture. The competitiveness of European industry must also be ensured and a strategic dialogue with industry and farmers must take place.

The proposal also calls for the expansion of renewable energies and the advancement of technologies for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). CCS is an English abbreviation for “Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage”. This refers to the capture and underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is produced, for example, in industrial plants and when burning oil, gas and coal. However, the method is controversial. Using energy-intensive processes, the greenhouse gas is captured, liquefied under pressure and then pressed and stored in former gas and oil deposits, in rock containing salt water or in the seabed. This is intended to prevent CO₂ from entering the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.

The goal for 2040 is not a legislative proposal, but rather a recommendation. After the European elections at the beginning of June, the next EU Commission would have to submit a legislative proposal to set the climate target for 2040 so that the target becomes binding.

So far, the EU has set goals of reducing CO₂ emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 and becoming climate neutral by 2050. The “Fit for 55” legislative package under the umbrella of the so-called Green Deal is intended to ensure this. The strategy includes measures in various areas such as energy, transport, industry and agriculture. There has not yet been an interim target for 2040.

The energy sector has "a pioneering role in decarbonization and emissions reduction in Europe, and we must continue on this path until 2040," said Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, according to a statement. »In the 2030s we should see great progress in moving away from fossil fuels and an increasing share of renewable energy in our energy mix.«

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the proposal was "also a message to our partners around the world that Europe continues to lead the way on global climate goals."

ani/dpa