The European Commission wants to dramatically slash greenhouse emissions by 2040, an ambitious target likely to become a political flashpoint in the year ahead and a source of inspiration for environmentalists in Canada.
In an announcement Tuesday, the EU’s executive branch proposed cutting economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent from 1990 levels.
“The case for climate action is beyond doubt and requires planning now,” Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s climate change commissioner, said in announcing the proposal.
“We’ve just lived through the hottest summer on record and we’ve seen for ourselves the devastation that climate change brings, sadly ever more in human lives.”
Meeting the proposed targets
