European Union countries on Monday approved a law on cutting the bloc’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and to net-zero by 2050, from 1990 levels. The approval means that the targets are now legally binding. The targets cover the entire EU emissions and do not bind requirements for each member state. The law is expected to make future policing support the emissions reduction aims.
The European Parliament approved the law last week. Each member state is due to sign the text this week before adopting it as a law. However, analysts said achieving the new targets would require a major policy overhaul. Previously, the bloc aimed to cut its emissions by 40% by 2030 and most of the existing regulations are based on that goal.
The European Commissions has prepared a huge new policy package to tackle climate change. EU lawmakers will propose regulations to limit emissions from the energy, industry, transport, and housing sectors. The proposals will include more ambitious renewable targets, tougher CO2 standards for new cars, and reforms in the EU carbon market. The EU is also required to establish an independent advising body on climate policies and a mechanism to calculate the volume of greenhouse gas that the EU can emit from 2030 to 2050.
