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New legislation needed now to meet EU 2050 climate commitment

Published: 17 March 2011 17 March 2011
The EU must put extra legislation in place in the lifetime of the current European Commission if it is to meet its commitment to cut domestic carbon emissions by 80-95% by 2050, warned the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Last week the European Commission released its 'Roadmap to a low carbon society' which outlined the need for a "fully decarbonised power sector" by 2050. But the need for action is much more immediate than EU leaders realise. EWEA proposes in its new report, "EU Energy Policy to 2050":
  • A binding "Emissions Performance Standard" (EPS) to limit carbon emissions on new power plants from 2015, starting at 350g/KWh - the emissions of a gas plant - and going down over time to encourage technological progress.
  • Reducing Europe's  domestic emissions by 30% by 2020 instead of the current 20% target, which includes reductions outside the EU.
  • Setting domestic emissions reduction targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050, taking the power sector to zero carbon by 2050, as well as a 2030 renewable energy target.  Higher emission reduction targets would also help tighten up the Emissions Trading System and make it more efficient.
EWEA believes that wind energy alone could provide 50% of the EU's power demand by 2050, with the other 50% coming from the many other renewable energy technologies.
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