EU should focus on transport emissions, battery production to reach climate targets - think tank

The EU can meet its 2030 climate targets and even ratchet up its commitments in time for the 2020 UN climate summit, writes energy transition think tank Agora Energiewende* in a new report, which lays out ten recommendations for the incoming European Parliament and Commission to achieve those goals. (Find the report (In English) here.) The EU currently aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. To do that, coal consumption will have to be cut in half by 2030, the report says. Consumption of vehicle fuels, natural gas and heating oil will have to drop by a quarter.

Renewables currently make up 32.3 percent of electricity generation in the EU; that will have to reach 57 percent by 2030. To achieve that, the report recommends a Europe-wide “shadow price” on carbon of 80–100 euros per tonne of CO₂ emissions. This would not affect actual market prices for emissions; instead, it would be a planning tool used to evaluate longterm investments in infrastructure. The report also recommends a major focus on transport emissions, including higher emissions standards for cars and a path to decarbonising aviation and shipping. It urges the EU to focus on creating a strong battery industry in Europe; establishing a scalable hydrogen economy; and making the energy transition a priority in the next European budget.

*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.