We have previously seen here that the European Union could easily achieve a 30 percent reduction of greenhouse gases emissions by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels). This would make a lot of sense both environmentally and economically.
Yet the European Commission kept earlier this month on clinging to the 20 percent reduction targets by 2020 when going beyond that is all too feasible. Some news are truly enraging…
We won’t lead, or even partake in the cleantech arms race with goals that can be reached easily. Major achievements in History took courageous decisions.
It indeed all makes sense. I believe the European Union could follow these figures :
- by 2020 : 30 percent reduction;
- by 2030 : 50 percent reduction ;
- by 2040 : 70 percent reduction ;
- by 2050 : 90 percent reduction.
Why going for 80 percent when we know that oil and gas reserves are depleting and that coal is horrendously polluting and emitting ? (on a sidenote, we saw that CCS won’t solve our problems…)
Major investments in energy efficiency, renewables and nuclear (in that order) could spur millions of job creations locally and the export of cleantechs all around the world.
To the Associated Press, investments in energy efficiency are lacking :
The commission said at the current rate the EU will improve its energy efficiency by 9 percent by 2020, less than half its target, and listed a series of actions by governments and citizens to lift that rate.
Let’s hope the Union will tackle this by increasing its efforts on the very matter. Previous projects already shown some change.
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