Five EU’s working solutions to climate change

The European Union in a fresh publication on Monday, has issued out some details of the solutions the EU and the Parliament are working on to fight climate change.

The solutions are summarised by NatureNews into five areas.

1.The European Green Deal.
In 2021, the EU made climate neutrality, the goal of zero net emissions by 2050, legally binding in the EU. It set an interim target of 55% emission reduction by 2030.
This goal of zero net emissions is enshrined in the climate law. The European Green deal is the roadmap for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050.
In order to finance the Green Deal, the European Commission presented in January 2020 the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, which aims to attract at least €1 trillion of public and private investment over the next decade.

2. Power stations and industry.
   To cut emissions from power stations and industry, the EU has put into place the first major carbon market. With the Emissions Trading System (ETS), companies have to buy permits to emit CO2, so the less they pollute, the less they pay. This system covers 40% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Transport
   Regarding road transport, in June 2022, the European Parliament backed a proposal to reach zero emissions from new cars and vans in the EU by 2035.
   So far there have been no EU requirements for ships to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Maritime transport is set to be included in the reformed EU ETS, as proposed in the Fit for 55 package.
4. Construction and agriculture
   For other sectors such as construction or agriculture, reductions will be achieved through agreed national emissions targets, which are calculated, based on countries’ gross domestic product per capita. As part of the Fit for 55 package, MEPs backed raising the emission reduction target of these sectors from 29% to 40% by 2030.
5. Deforestation and land use
   The EU also wants to use the CO2 absorption power of forests to fight climate change. In June 2022, MEPs voted in favour of an update of the rules governing deforestation and change of land use (LULUCF). The aim is to enhance EU’s carbon sinks to achieve even bigger emission reduction than the current 55% target by 2030.