BRUSSELS – European Union leaders agreed today after a long night of wrangling to set a more ambitious target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
“Europe is the leader in the fight against climate change," European Council president and summit host Charles Michel declared on Twitter.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said: “Europe will reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030. It puts us on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050.”
The leaders had debated climate change measures for eight long hours, dragging a summit that started on Thursday through into the morning.
Poland, backed by some other coal-dependent central European countries had been holding out for guarantees on funding to pay for a clean energy transition.
The debate pushed talks on Brexit down the agenda, and the division took some of the shine off the earlier announcement that the leaders had agreed the EU long-term budget.
But as the sun came up over Brussels, the leaders announced their climate breakthrough.
European Union leaders also unblocked the bloc’s €2 trillion (RM9.84 trillion) budget and recovery fund.
As part of its commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement, the EU has pledged to become climate-neutral by 2050, the date when it would offset or capture more greenhouse gas than it emits.
However, the current interim target for 2030 – a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 1990 – is not now seen as sufficient to achieve this goal.
At an October summit, the EU leaders postponed the decision on the more ambitious climate target until their next meeting, given the hesitation by the eastern member states.
The new climate goals are backed by big EU powers, including France and Germany, as well as many major businesses keen to access European funding to kickstart a recovery through what Brussels has taken to calling a green new deal. – AFP, December 11, 2020
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