The European Commission has officially communicated that we could break down the greenhouse gas emissions by 54% by 2030, as long as states keep promises. Good news for World Environment Day.
It seemed almost impossible, yet The European Union It would be on the right way to center the emissions reduction objectives of greenhouse gas by 2030. The conditional serves: in fact, projections based on the commitments contained in the national planes for energy and climate (PNEC) are projected that each Member State presented in June last year. If the promises are kept, we would reach a 54% reduction of net emissions compared to 1990. A single percentage point less than the ambitious objectives of the “Fit for 55” package, also incorporated in the last update of the Green Deal, and good news for the World Environment Day.
As we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions
The most important item contained in the pnec is that relating to energy transition. Already today, 24.5% of all the energy used in the European Union it comes from renewable sources And we traced the road around 42.5% of the consumption deriving from clean energy That “is becoming the main source of electricity in the EU”, according to what Teresa Ribera said, executive vice -president of the European Commission and responsible for the “clean, just and competitive transition”.
At the same time, the Member States will focus on the Reduction of imported fossil fuel addictionalthough this item satisfies even more than half of the energy needs, according to a report presented to the European Parliament last January.
What are the pnecs
THE Pnec are plans drawn up by each of the 27 Member States, for illustrate how individual countries intend to achieve climatic objectives set by the European Union. They were finalized for the first time in 2020 and then updated in 2023
The New reviews They were delivered in June last year and were in line with the Green Deal. In the Commission’s forecast, however, the pnecs of Belgium, Estonia And Polandwhich have not yet been officially presented, as well as that of Slovakia, still in the evaluation phase.
What is missing in the pnecs
If on the one hand they feed hope, on the other hand the same commission points out “significant gaps“which remain inside the pnec, in particular as regards the management of water resources in suffering e the efficiency of consumption: The objective of an 11.7% reduction was unfortunately revised to 8.1%.
But not only. While the energy sector seems determined to achieve the prefixed results, on the front of transport and agriculture The cutting of the emissions is not scheduled. Also thanks to a weakening of the environmental regulations due above all to the protests of the farmers started in December 2023.
The greenhouse gases produced, moreover, they are not effectively absorbed from ecosystems like forests and prairieswhose capacities have been deteriorated by the increase in extreme climatic events. Europe warms at double speed double compared to other continents and is therefore more at risk of fires, droughts, floods and other phenomena that also damage vegetation.
Good news remains
But the official communication of the European Commission good news remainsdespite it all. To begin with, because it is the first time that the projection of the strategies proposed in the climatic plans is actually in line with the Paris agreements. Then because it is a confirmation of the priority that the climatic crisis covers for European policies. Also in the face of the growing requests for revision of the objectives by different countries, including Italy, and political-economic conjunctures, such as duties and war in Ukraine, which would seem to suggest other emergencies.
«Europe is showing that reliable and predictable objectives based on science And adequate regulation give their fruits, “Ribera reiterated.
The next stop? 2040
They will start now Discussions for the next stage of the path to a climatic neutrality set at 2050. The year to keep in mind will be 2040within which, according to the suggestions of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, we should aim for A 90% cut of polluting emissions compared to 1990.
To do this, two new strategic initiatives have been implemented: The Clean Industrial Dealto exploit decarbonisation as an opportunity for the growth of the European industries, e The Affordable Energy Action Planto reduce energy costs through the increase in consumption from renewable sources. Both agreements must be incorporated in the next update of the pnecs.
From a more technical point of view, instead we think of the exploitation of technologies for The removal of CO2 from the atmosphereto whom a part of the scientific community looks with skepticism as still too much efficient, e to carbon credits which can be purchased by companies to compensate for their emissions and finance pollution reduction programs.
What awaits us from here to 2030
In the meantime, The plans already approved must be transformed into concrete actionswith the use of public funds and the encouragement of private investors. Achieving the goals will in fact be expensive. They will serve about 570 billion euros From here to 2030, according to what was calculated by the same commission, which then pointed out that in one year 430 billion were spent in imports of fossil fuels.
