In a new report published on Thursday 25 June, the International Energy Agency (IEA) welcomed the European Union’s progress in transitioning to a cleaner and more resilient energy future, while calling on it to redouble its efforts by seizing the opportunity presented by the post-Covid-19 recovery.
According to the report, EU greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 were 23% below 1990 levels, meaning that the EU had already achieved its 20% reduction target for 2020.
This reduction is mainly due to the development of “clean electricity”, the Agency explains, highlighting the EU’s global leadership role in decarbonising the electricity sector through renewable energy technologies, in particular offshore wind power.
But while the data show a transition to clean electricity, the whole EU energy system must become clean, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol then cautioned during a video conference exchange with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.
The report shows that greenhouse gas emissions in the EU transport sector continue to rise and that energy use in buildings remains a fossil fuel intensive activity.
In addition, the EU’s new climate targets (a reduction of at least -50 to -55% by 2030) mean that “stronger policies than those currently in place will be needed to deliver on these ambitions”, notes the IEA. With this in mind, the Agency recommends that the EU draw inspiration from some of the proposals in its “sustainable recovery plan” published on 18 June (see EUROPE 12509/20).
Furthermore, when asked about the possibility of including nuclear power in the European taxonomy (see EUROPE 12509/12 and 12469/23), Mr Birol asserted that “Europe doesn’t have the luxury of excluding any low or zero carbon technologies”. In his view, excluding nuclear power would make it much more difficult to achieve Europe’s climate goals, but he refused to use the term “impossible”.
See the report: https://bit.ly/2NtX7qx (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)