The EU can increase its climate targets to be in line with a global 1.5degC

This report by the NewClimate Institute analyzes how extending best practice policies across EU member states could enable the EU to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of -55% to -62% below 1990 levels by 2030, aligning with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal.

• The EU has the potential to increase its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets to between -55% and -62% below 1990 levels, which is consistent with the Paris Agreement's goal of pursuing a 1.5°C limit.
• The power sector offers the highest potential for additional emission reductions through three primary drivers: increasing electrical energy efficiency on the demand side, accelerating the exit from coal, and maintaining strong support policies for renewable energy sources (RES) to increase deployment rates.
• Sector-specific levers for further reductions include higher emissions standards and financial/non-financial support for electric vehicles in transport; faster and deeper renovation of existing buildings; and a combination of resource efficiency, circular economy policies, and a shift away from fossil fuels in industrial sectors.
• Broad application of best practice policies could result in energy demand being reduced by nearly -45% below the 2007 baseline and renewable energy sources (RES) increasing to 45% of total final energy demand, both of which exceed the European Commission's proposals of -30% and 27% respectively.
• The report concludes that technical limitations are not the primary obstacle to achieving ambitious GHG targets; rather, the challenge is one of political will and the massive effort required to implement and spread best practice policies across all EU member states.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2018). The EU can increase its climate targets to be in line with a global 1.5degC. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-eu-can-increase-its-climate-targets-to-be-in-line-with-a-global-15degc

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. The EU can increase its climate targets to be in line with a global 1.5degC. 2018. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-eu-can-increase-its-climate-targets-to-be-in-line-with-a-global-15degc.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=The EU can increase its climate targets to be in line with a global 1.5degC |date=4 May 2018 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-eu-can-increase-its-climate-targets-to-be-in-line-with-a-global-15degc |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2018can, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{The EU can increase its climate targets to be in line with a global 1.5degC}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-eu-can-increase-its-climate-targets-to-be-in-line-with-a-global-15degc}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }