EU already reduced CO2 pollution by a quarter; now the next quarter still to go

The European Union (EU) has reduced CO2 emissions by almost a quarter over the past thirty years. This has brought the European share of global CO2 pollution down from 15 to 8 percent.

This emerges from a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU amounted to 4,392 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in the study year 2018, which is 23.2% lower than in 1990.

Two-thirds of the reduction in 2018 was achieved in the heat and energy sector, mainly through the closure of coal-fired power plants. After four consecutive years of increases, emissions from road transport remained stable for the first time. Emissions have fallen in nearly all economic sectors, especially in energy supply, industry, and the residential sector.

“EEA data shows that reducing greenhouse gas emissions does not have to harm the economy. Strong limitations to prevent the worst impacts of climate change remain an absolute priority,” said Hans Bruyninckx, executive director of the EEA.

However, emissions must be reduced much further and faster if the EU wants to comply with the Paris Agreement, campaigners say. It is estimated that an annual reduction of about seven percent is needed to keep global warming within the upper limit of two degrees Celsius.

Just this week, the United Nations decided to postpone the vital talks on the climate crisis by a year, until November 2021. The intention was to discuss the ‘progress of Paris’ in Glasgow in November. The suspension is longer than many countries had wished, but was deemed necessary due to disruptions caused by coronavirus lockdowns.

In the Climate Policy of the new European Commission, it was agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by half over ten years, despite reservations from Poland, which requested more time to meet the EU-wide target. Poland is still hesitant to phase out its coal mines. In that case, the EU would need to reduce emissions by another quarter within ten years, whereas the first quarter reduction took thirty years.

A formal proposal on the EU target for 2030 will be submitted in September after the Commission completes a thorough cost-benefit analysis, said Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Commission. The environmental committee of the European Parliament will debate and vote on the European Commission’s proposal in the fall.