Politics
EU Chiefs Back Tough Emission Goal After Last-Minute Scuffle
- Heads of government endorse 55% cut in greenhouse gases
- Last-minute objections from eastern Europe raised concerns
The Turow coal power plant in Bogatynia, Poland.
Photographer: Bartek Sadowski/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
European Union leaders have agreed to more aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, one year after launching a moonshot Green Deal that led the way for other major economies to raise their climate ambitions.
The decision to cut pollution by at least 55% by 2030, up from 40% previously, was expected. But it helps keep global momentum on the issue going into 2021, when incoming U.S. President Joe Biden plans to re-join the landmark Paris Agreement and set a 2050 net-zero goal. It also gives European leaders a bold new commitment to tout at a global climate meeting on Saturday.