Europe lays out its vision for a carbon-neutral future, but big obstacles lie on the horizon

This proposal, which will be introduced gradually from 2023, has not been welcomed by many countries that trade with Europe, including the United States. If passed, it could be challenged in the World Trade Organization.

Hundreds of pages of proposed laws – which the commission called “fit 55,” a slogan some have joked better suit a yoga studio – will be hotly debated and inevitably revised before they become binding on the 27-member bloc.

There are fears that the poor will pay an unfair share of the cost of decarbonization and be seen as an elitist project, leading to more political backlash from populist parties and groups, such as the 2018 “yellow vests” protests over a climate-related problem. French petrol price increase.

But Simone Tagliapitra of Bruegel, a Brussels-based economic think tank, said that without the new legislation, Europe would have reduced its emissions by only 60% by 2050, instead of reaching carbon neutrality.

The 12 legislative proposals presented on Wednesday are designed to reduce dependence on fossil fuels including coal, oil and natural gas; To expand the use of renewable energy sources including solar, wind and hydro to at least 38.5 percent of total energy by 2030; To force faster development of electric vehicles with stricter CO2 limits and hopefully end the sale of all internal combustion vehicles by 2035; And to support clean energy options for aviation and shipping, which are major polluters. For the first time, a carbon market for road transport and buildings will be established.

Transport and buildings respectively account for 22 per cent and 35 per cent of all carbon emissions in the European Union. Tagliopetra said. But he said creating a separate market for them would be politically difficult, as it would increase fuel costs for families and small and medium businesses.

He said the EU was “the first major economy in the world to begin translating climate-neutral ambition into realistic political action”. “But if there is one principle that should guide negotiations over the next two years, it is certainly the principle of climate justice.”