Photovoltaic plant in Trujillo, Cáceres.PACO PUENTES / EL PAÍS
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Brussels wants Europe to double its share of renewable energy in just one decade
The European Commission yesterday launched its great legislative bet against climate change. Brussels aspires to transform the community economy during this decade to achieve a model free of fossil fuels and the emissions that overheat the planet. The standards presented must serve for the European Union to meet its commitments: to reduce greenhouse gases in 2030 by 55% compared to 1990 levels. In 2050, net zero emissions will have to be reached, which represents the end of the fossil fuels that have fueled the economy since the Industrial Revolution. To do this, the Commission establishes that in 2030, 40% of the energy consumed in the EU must be of renewable origin (twice as much as now). As a whole, it is an ambitious and welcome proposal,that consolidates the global leadership of the European bloc in this matter. It is a good starting point for difficult negotiations between institutions and countries that should not dilute ambition.
When they are finished being approved, the new rules will be mandatory in the EU. But its effects will go far beyond the borders of the Twenty-seven. One of the most obvious examples is the veto on sales of new cars with combustion engines from 2035 proposed by the Commission. This will force European car manufacturers to transform their model towards electric vehicles. But with that ban in 2035, a message is also sent to foreign manufacturers: if they want to access the powerful community market, they must move away from fossil fuels. The same will happen with certain imports, which will be taxed with a European climate tariff based on their carbon dioxide footprint according to the Brussels plan.More than three decades ago, Europe launched an emissions trading system that obliges nearly 10,000 factories and industries on the continent to pay for the CO2 they emit. Brussels is now proposing to extend this obligation to other sectors, such as building and transport. But, tired of waiting for the rest of the countries to also put a price on carbon, the Commission has decided to implement this climate tariff. All this section is a central pillar of the broad plan.All this section is a central pillar of the broad plan.All this section is a central pillar of the broad plan.
The measures put on the table by Brussels will lead to an increase in the cost of the dirtiest ways of generating energy or of moving to force the transition towards cleaner alternatives, such as renewable energies or electric mobility.
It is, on the whole, a fair change. But just because it is not fair, it does not mean that it cannot generate problems like those that Spain and other European countries are already experiencing due to the rise in prices of electricity that is not yet clean enough. It remains to be seen whether the € 72 billion social fund now proposed by the Commission serves to offset the possible rise in energy prices and avoid social impacts. High costs without compensation measures for the most vulnerable sectors of society can provide ammunition for populists and slow down the essential and urgent fight against the climate crisis. The negotiation for the final approval of the plan will be tough; the resistances, strong. But it is in the interest of the EU to advance at a good pace, for environmental reasons,and also because leadership in this sector will deliver strategic dividends.