For the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyenthe bloc is “on the right track” to achieve the emissions reduction target established by the Paris Agreement, with regard to the fight against climate change.
In an exclusive interview with the anchor of CNN Márcio Gomes, the leader highlighted that the European Union is only “1% off plan”which is “very comforting.”
“We are only 1% off plan. So, we will reach the target by 2030 and, together, we have drafted a law that guarantees climate neutrality in the European Union by 2050. Therefore, the direction of this journey is very clear to all of us”, he said.
The European Union approved a new target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, establishing a 90% reduction in emissions by 2040.
O new commitment represents a considerable evolution in relation to previous goals. For 2030, the net emissions reduction target was raised from 40% to 55%, an increase of 15 percentage points. The plan also foresees that the bloc will achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
“The direction of this journey is very clear to all of us. But on the path to climate neutrality, I think we must demonstrate flexibility and pragmatism. We’ve never done this before, it’s quite a transformation,” said Von der Leyen.
The announcement, however, bothered some sectorslike automakers, who they would have written her a letter criticizing the measure.
In response, Von der Leyen states that the future “is electric”but that this transition really “isn’t easy”.
“We are still discussing this. In fact, we all agree that the future will be electric, but the transition to emission-free mobility is not easy, so we are discussing what other means to get there,” he said.
HAS CNNsaid that intends to present by the end of the year a proposal for this issue.
“The European Union, in general, is the biggest contributor to climate finance. Last year it was 34 billion euros and we will continue like this. I understand that we need new sources of financing.”
“The economy grew, emissions decreased and revenue of 250 billion euros was reinvested in innovation. In other words, this works, but we also need to involve the private sector. This is our principle, for example, with partner countries”, he added.
Von der Leyen is in Belém to participate in the which began this Thursday (6) and precedes the start of the which will take place in the capital of Pará.
“This has to be the . We have enough good objectives on paper, we have to ensure that all of this is put into practice,” he said.
