European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has vowed to increase the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions target to a 55% reduction from 1990 levels by 2030.
Ursula von der Leyen
There have further been calls in the past to increase the target to 60%, with an endgame of ensuring the European Union becomes fully carbon-neutral by 2030.
This came with an announcement made by President von der Leyen in her first State of the European Union address in the European Parliament and revealed an ambitious plan to tackle emissions and to reboot the post-Covid economy with green policies.
At the address, she said: “There is no more urgent need for acceleration than when it comes to the future of our fragile planet. While much of the world’s activity froze during lockdowns and shutdowns, the planet continued to get dangerously hotter. And we see it all around us: from houses evacuated due to the glacier collapse on the Mont Blanc to fires burning through Oregon to crops destroyed in Romania by the most severe drought in decades. We will not get there with a status quo. We need to go faster and we need to do things better."
The initial goal of the European Green Deal and the goal of the EC was a 40% reduction of levels from 1990.
Von der Leyen admitted the new target was something of a compromise, stating that it "would be enough for some but not enough for others" in her address in light of the EP's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety to push for a 60% target.
On the other hand, there have been member states that oppose a stronger commitment or demand more funds from Brussels.
170 business leaders and investors from across Europe came to together to endorse the EC's 55% emissions margin. Signatories include Microsoft, IKEA, Deutsche Bank, Unilever, Google and EDF.
This agreement will put the EU on track for their 2050 targets as well as meeting the obligations for the Paris Climate Agreement and the Commission president stressed they would be able to keep warming below 1.5 degrees celsius on average if others follow suit.
She added that EU emissions declined by 20% since 1990 while the EU's economy grew by 60%.
She said: “We have more young people pushing for change. We have more proof that what is good for the climate is good for business and is good for us all."
The current levels of consumption of raw materials, energy, food, water and land are unsustainable and Mrs. von der Leyen has called for a revolution in how people consume and live.
The president also vowed to support hydrogen technology as well as a target to install one million charging stations for electric vehicles.
The address also called for buildings to become less wasteful and stated the "construction sector can even be turned from a carbon source to a carbon sink if building materials like wood and smart technologies such as artificial intelligence as integrated."
There has also been a call for the executive branch of the European Parliament to suspend fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. According to a document released with the briefing, all member states should also individually become carbon-neutral by 2050 and then even make shifts towards becoming negative. If this is accomplished, they could remove more harmful gases from the environment than they put into.
According to the same report, the vote was a narrow victory in favour, with 40 to 37 votes in favour of the bill, with the majority of lawmakers supporting the European Green Deal at its face value.
Another meeting is due to be held next month.
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