Carbon-free Europe by mid century
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Europe unveiled landmark legislation yesterday to achieve 鈥渃limate neutrality鈥 by 2050, under the stern gaze of teenage activist Greta Thunberg who called the measure meaningless.
The Swedish eco-warrior is in the Belgian capital for a Friday protest, but first attended a meeting of European commissioners, the top EU officials who will approve the draft law, that is rarely open to outsiders.
Thunberg was also scheduled to appear before a European Parliament committee, which angered many MEPs instructed to ban other visitors and key staff due to the coronavirus outbreak.
According to a leaked draft, the proposed climate text aims to enshrine into law the EU鈥檚 grand ambition of zero-net-carbon emissions by mid-century.
It would give the EU executive new powers to impose emission targets on member states, a simple measure welcomed by greens and activists.
鈥淥ne of the added values is to get out of the current situation where climate objectives are taken unanimously by the European Council鈥 which brings together heads of state and government, said French liberal MEP Pascal Canfin.
But handing more power to the commission, the EU鈥檚 executive arm, faces almost certain opposition from national governments and the European Parliament which must ratify the proposal.
鈥淢ember states and parliament will hate it,鈥 said Quentin Genard of climate think tank E3G. 鈥淓ven the more pro-European and pro-climate action countries want to retain oversight over climate policies.鈥
The goal of climate neutrality was approved by EU leaders at a rocky summit in June with coal-dependent Poland the only holdout. It would bind the EU鈥檚 27 member states to balance polluting emissions and removals of greenhouse gases over the next thirty years. The commission hailed the draft as the cornerstone of a European Green New Deal.
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