Also with CO2 storage: the EU Commission wants emissions to be reduced by 90 percent by 2040

Also with CO2 storage
The EU Commission wants emissions to be reduced by 90 percent by 2040

February 6, 2024, 5:31 p.m

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In order to achieve climate neutrality within the European Union, the EU Commission is proposing a reduction in CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2040. A previously controversial method should also help in the future.

On the path to climate neutrality, the EU Commission wants to reduce the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 2040. The authority presented a corresponding recommendation for a climate target to the Strasbourg European Parliament. It plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90 percent by this year compared to 1990. “We have just experienced the hottest summer since records began,” said EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. The EU must now take countermeasures to prevent catastrophic destruction.

Sectors that can save greenhouse gases include industry, transport and agriculture. The competitiveness of European industry must also be ensured and a strategic dialogue with industry and farmers must take place.

The proposal also calls for the expansion of renewable energies and the advancement of technologies for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). “Renewable energies and energy efficiency remain central to the path to climate neutrality,” said EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. However, in order to achieve the climate goals, the storage of CO2 is necessary. CCS is an English abbreviation for “Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage”. The technology will “not only reduce emissions, but also make the industry cleaner and more competitive,” said Simson.

Binding target only after European elections

CCS refers to the capture and underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is produced, for example, in industrial plants and when burning oil, gas and coal. Using energy-intensive processes, the greenhouse gas is captured, liquefied under pressure and then pressed and stored in former gas and oil deposits, in rock containing salt water or in the seabed. This is intended to prevent CO2 from entering the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.

CO2 storage is particularly a solution for heavy industry “where emissions cannot be completely eliminated,” emphasized EU Climate Commissioner Hoekstra. These include cement production or the waste industry. The goal for 2040 is not a legislative proposal, but rather a recommendation. After the European elections at the beginning of June, the next EU Commission would have to submit a legislative proposal to set the climate target for 2040 so that the target becomes binding.

So far, the EU has set goals of reducing CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 and becoming climate neutral by 2050. The “Fit for 55” legislative package under the umbrella of the so-called Green Deal is intended to ensure this. The strategy includes measures in various areas such as energy, transport, industry and agriculture. There has not yet been an interim target for 2040.