EU Sets Goal To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40% By 2030

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 25, 2014 @05:50AM from the go-big-or-go-home dept.

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.

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Re:Theory vs reality? by ShanghaiBill · 2014-10-25 07:46 · Score: 2, Interesting

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.