Official advisors have told the European Union to revise its climate policies to promptly move towards the phase-out of fossil fuels and achieve climate targets set by the bloc.
“The EU needs to sharply decrease the use of fossil fuels and almost fully phase out the use of coal and fossil gas in public electricity and heat generation by 2040,” said the advisors. They also said that much of the work would begin after 2030, but groundwork can be laid to smoothen the transition.
EU was among the top countries to have stood firm in phasing out of fossil fuels at the UN climate summit, COP28, although the final agreement was weaker than the expected decision on fossil fuels.
Despite holding that position, the European Union’s policies do not match the goal of phasing out fossil fuels in the next few decades.
The policies will require a revision to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, as stated in a report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.
Fossil fuel subsidies across the EU rose to 120 billion euros ($130.57 billion) in 2022.
This increase was due to governments investing money to protect citizens from rising energy costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reduced gas deliveries to Europe.
While recent EU climate policies put countries on course to meet their 2030 emissions-cutting goal, achieving long-term climate objectives will demand much more significant reductions in CO2 emissions.
