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EU Sets Goal To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40% By 2030
An anonymous reader writes: The 28 nations in the European Union agreed Friday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% (going by 1990 levels) by the year 2030. The deal received widespread criticism; industry bosses said the 2030 targets were too extreme, while many environmental groups said the goals weren't ambitious enough. The deal requires each nation to achieve the goal independently — earlier targets could use international offsets to avoid or reduce action. EU officials hope the agreement will encourage the U.S. and China to take a more aggressive stance on fighting climate change.
When other countries reduce their carbon footprints, what's the increased incentive for the US and China to reduce theirs?
Saving money.
Shale gas is cheaper than coal.
LED bulbs pay for themselves in six months.
Electric cars will soon have a TCO lower than gas.
Technological improvements and market economics have reduced CO2 by far more than government decrees.
And at the same time they dislike "nucular" 'cos it is ..., well, "nucular".
I live in Northern Europe - for us this will mean insane regulations. Just insane.
The people who we call "redgreen" (communistic-environmentalist-extremists) are the second biggest problem to earth. The biggest is exponential population growth. Global warming is somewhere aroung fifth to tenth - at least for us here in the north.