- The EU has agreed to increase emission reductions from 40% to 55% by 2030.
- After lengthy negotiations, the 27 Member States managed to overrule Poland’s refusal.
The heads of state of the European Union reached an agreement on the percentage of greenhouse gas emission reductions to be achieved by 2030. The meeting took place on 11 December and lasted into the early hours of the morning. Nevertheless, using emissions from the year 1990 as their basis, the Member States ultimately agreed to increase greenhouse gas emission reduction from 40% to 55%.
The difficulties in the negotiations arose from the resistance of countries that are more dependent on coal production, such as Poland. In fact, Poland that maintained its refusal throughout the night until, faced with certain conditions that were accepted by the other members, it gave in.
This new goal must be achieved in a way that preserves the EU’s competitiveness and takes into account the specific circumstances of each country. Hungary and the Czech Republic, for example, were also part of the resistance, arguing that not all countries are coming from the same starting point and, therefore, some need more support than others to carry out the transition.
While the European Union has long been at the forefront of the race to combat climate change, countries like China, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States (with the arrival of Joe Biden) are beginning to climb the ranks in their efforts to reduce emissions in their respective territories. That’s why the 27 are seeking to strike a blow that paves the way to a climate-neutral future by 2050. In this context, emissions that are harmful to the environment should be able to be absorbed by sinks such as forests.
We at FIVEMASA S.A.U. are pleased that the greenhouse gas emission reduction target approved by the European Union has increased to 55%. We work each and every day to reduce the gases that our customers emit through our filtration systems.