There has been an important commitment to protect the environment for a long time. Reducing emissions to mitigate climate change and combat global warming is a common goal of many countries. But it is also true that not all plans are strong enough to achieve this. For this reason, Europe presented an ambitious project with new laws to phase out the use of fossil fuels.
The package of twelve legislative proposals was made official this Wednesday by the European Commission. Its purpose is to meet the goal of reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 figures. Logically, the adoption of these new laws will not be easy because it will require arduous negotiation between the member countries of the bloc and the European Parliament.
Eradicating the use of fossil fuels is not achieved overnight, but the intention of Europe is to bet on new and aggressive legislation. We will review its most important points below.
Europe will ban the sale of cars that use fossil fuels from 2035
One of the most impressive measures of the ambitious project of the European Commission is the ban on the sale of cars that emit carbon dioxide, from 2035. This means that from that date on, all new vehicles on the market must be zero-emission. Thus, the auto industry will be forced to kill combustion engine cars, and hybrids will not be spared either.
The determination of Europe will force some countries to advance the veto to the automobile fleet that depends on the use of fossil fuels. In the case of Spain, for example, the intention was to apply the cut in 2040, but the decision must be anticipated five years.
This new measure will also imply that by the end of the current decade the infrastructure available for recharging electric vehicles must be increased. According The vanguard, 70% of the charging points are concentrated in the Netherlands, Germany and France, and the European Commission wants there to be one every 60 kilometers.
As for old combustion vehicles, they may continue to be used after 2035 but the authorities encourage the public to transition to electric. An important point to keep in mind is that, yesterday, the Volkswagen Group presented its strategy NEW AUTO; The automaker intends to install a gigafactory in Spain, and transfer the entire value chain of its electric cars to this country.
A ‘border tax’ on imports from countries without a climate change policy
According The New York Times, the initiative with the most potential to spark global sparks will be the imposition of a “border carbon tax”. It is the Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism and consists of applying a tariff to products that arrive from outside the European Union. More specifically from countries that do not have a policy against climate change; or whose laws regarding the use of fossil fuels and emissions are lax.
The tax will take effect in 2026 and will be applied gradually. In principle, it will affect sectors such as the production of aluminum, steel, fertilizers, cement and electricity. In any case, its application can be controversial in China, India, Russia and Japan, which have expressed little satisfaction with ideas of this type. Even the North American media indicates that the United States has only referred to the possibility of applying its own tax of this type.
But this is not all, since the tax must conform to the rules of the World Trade Organization. It is also expected that there will be some type of dispute related to protectionism, before this new measure.
The European Commission would also eliminate the use of coal to produce electricity
The gradual reduction in the use of fossil fuels it would also imply the elimination of the use of coal to produce electrical energy. The New York Times makes mention of a possible refusal of countries such as Hungary and Poland, for their important operations related to coal.
On the other hand, the European Commission intends reach the use of 40% renewable energy by 2030. However, according to The Independent, this measure will imply an increase in the price of electricity. For this reason, a social fund of more than 72,000 million euros will be established over a period of 7 years, in order to counteract the impact on the home economy.