Why we need to act

There are many effective actions we can take to tackle the causes of climate change by reducing GHG emissions. There is substantial potential to reduce GHG emissions at low cost, zero cost or even with a cost saving. These actions can contribute to reducing GHG emissions. Actions to address climate change are affordable. They can also improve our quality of life. The time to act is now!

Our move to a low GHG emission society will transform our economy, and for the better. By reducing emissions we have the potential to unleash a wave of innovation across our economy: not only in the obvious areas such as renewable energy and energy efficiency, but also in areas such as: sustainable, low impact agriculture; intelligent, sustainable, transport systems; low carbon architecture and construction technologies; and a high value-added services sector based on a low carbon information economy. If we realise this sort of potential for our economy, we can also have transformative impacts that, arguably, will only enhance people’s quality of life. 

After the Paris agreement in 2015 the EU have committed all its member states to reducing greenhouse gases by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The European Commission presented its long term strategy, in 2018, to make Europe climate neutral and independent of fossil fuels by 2050. This will involve aligning all EU policies with the Paris agreement which aims to keep global temperatures to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to remain below 1.5°C. This vision encompasses a prosperous and competitive economy that involves empowering citizens, investing in technological solutions and guarantees social fairness for a just transition.