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In the longer term to achieve the goals set in the Paris Agreement, the EC is considering options ranging from lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 net zero issues by the middle of the century. a bicycle on a paved street in Rome, Italy on Thursday, August 17, 2017. (Bloomberg pic)
BRUSSELS: Trump or no Trump, the European Union should encourage businesses to do more to meet the Parisian climate
Adopting a long-term vision and encouraging companies to focus their actions to limit future costs will be one of the thrusts of the climate push for the executive suites of the bloc . In its longer-term strategy to be tabled in November to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement, the European Commission is considering options ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% to 80%. 39, here 2050 to zero emissions mid-way. century "
" Having a prospect in the 2050 horizon helps people to accept more ambitious pathways, "said Mauro Petriccione, the climate director general of the EU's regulatory branch, in a interview in Brussels. "It also means that people should start thinking now that at some point they will have to go beyond the target of 2030. You give them a signal now, you help them plan to long term. "
The steps are to show how the 28-nation bloc is determined to honor the goals of the agreement despite the decision of President Donald Trump to pull the United States out of the 2015 agreement signed by Almost all other countries in the world
The EU 's current binding target is to reduce emissions by at least 40% by the end of the next decade. is not enough to achieve Paris' goal of keeping global temperature growth well below 2 degrees Celsius, a measure that scientists believe is needed to prevent the catastrophic effects of global warming. following decades that could be turned into binding targets later.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the EU will hold a high-level conference in Brussels to consult companies, non-governmental organizations es and researchers on the topic.
"It's time to look at the longer-term perspective and establish a strategy for the direction of EU climate policy by 2050," Miguel Arias , commissioner for climate and energy Canete said in a statement Thursday. "The transition to clean energy will be critical, and achieving our climate goals will require contributions from all sectors of the economy and society."
For the EU, which wants to show the example, the long-term strategy will also be a political tool to demand more during the next UN negotiations starting in December in Katowice, Poland. Ambassadors from more than 190 countries will seek to finalize a regulation to implement the Paris Agreement and its mechanisms to accelerate carbon reductions around the world.
"We have a reasonable chance of persuading other major world emitters to follow us," said Petriccione. "The only way to persuade them is to succeed, the only example that people want to follow is success."
Europe reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 23% in 2016 compared to 1990 levels and is poised to beat its 2020 target of reducing them by one-fifth. The carbon price in its flagship cap-and-trade program, which limits emissions from nearly 12,000 facilities owned by manufacturers and power generators, has more than doubled in the last two years to reach 16 euros (18.7 USD)
No "monsters"
As part of an effort for more ambition during the UN climate talks in December, the EU could harden its contribution to the Paris Agreement and submit a tighter target of just over 45% by 2030. More significant cuts will be possible after political decision makers have agreed on more stringent energy efficiency and renewable energy targets for 2030, said Canete last month
. the sustainable economy is effective, Europe must adopt a new approach to energy, going beyond the integration of renewable energy into the network, according to Petriccione. As part of the transformation, the EU is also expected to adopt new clean energy sources, such as hydrogen, he said.
"It is perfectly conceivable to diversify our sources of energy not only to replace fossil fuels but also to want to do with energy," he said. "A power plant that feeds the electricity grid of a big city is a monster.A power station that feeds a steel mill is a monster.You do not need to get energy of a monster to feed your house.This gives you many more options. "
