"The EU aims to slash its net greenhouse gas pollution by 90% by 2040 as part of its push to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent, the European Commission has announced before elections in June.

Under a landmark proposal laid out by its executive body on Tuesday, the bloc will have to pump 90% less planet-heating gas into the air by 2040 than it did in 1990, a figure which includes the carbon it removes from the atmosphere.

The target is at the bottom end of the 90-95% net cuts that the EU’s scientific watchdog recommended in June, and meeting it would require a much faster shift to a clean economy. In the three decades between 1990 and 2021, the EU’s 27 member states cut their emissions by just 30%, according to the European Environment Agency, leaving them half as long to do twice the work.

Wopke Hoekstra, the EU climate commissioner, said the target sent a message to the world that Europe “continues to lead the way” on climate action. “Tackling the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to make sure everyone crosses the finish line and nobody is left behind,” he said."

Ajit Niranjan reports for the Guardian February 6, 2024. [2]