A legally binding commitment by the EU to work towards carbon-neutrality by 2050 lies at the heart of the European Commission’s Green New Deal launched Wednesday morning. The deal includes a 50-55 per cent emissions reduction target for 2030, a very demanding target for Ireland. The deal was unveiled by EU Commission president Ursula Van der Leyen who spoke to the press of it as hugely “ambitious” and a “European man on the moon moment”. On Friday she will outline it to EU leaders at their summit while vice-president Frans Timmermans will do likewise at the COP25 summit in Madrid. The commission is proposing an action plan on the circular economy to encourage sustainable products like recyclable batteries and new waste policies.

Source: The Irish Times December 11, 2019 13:30 UTC