As part of the European Green Deal, the EU has adopted a climate package they call "Fit for 55". In it, Europe aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve full climate neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, the EU plans to reduce CO2 emissions in new cars by 55% by 2030 and 100% by 2035, which means no new cars emitting harmful substances.
The EU-wide target for a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 is based on 1990 levels, and the 55% reduction in emissions from the automotive industry by 2030 is based on the 2021 level of the year. The target is calculated based on new vehicle sales, not on-going vehicles.
In 2020, the EU average new car emissions were 107.8 g CO2 / km and is likely to decline in 2021 year, which means that new cars in 2030 will have to emit an average of 40+ grams of CO2 per kilometer.
However, by 2035 this will be a controversial issue, as all new cars should be emission-free.
The EU also mandates member states to expand charging capacity as sales of zero-emission vehicles grow. If EV sales grow by 100%, then the number of charging stations should also double. On major highways, charging points should be installed at least every 60 km, and hydrogen filling stations every 150 km.
The package also includes other reforms in many sectors. It lowers the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) carbon limits, regulates air and maritime transport, changes forest management practices, targets 40% generation electricity from renewable sources by 2030, forces public buildings to be refurbished and adds a borderline carbon tariff so that EU emissions do not just overburden other countries.
This is an ambitious and broad plan that covers all major sources of anthropogenic emissions and represents stronger targets than the EU has ever set before. Previous EU legislation called for a 40% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. But the EU is gradually signaling a desire to raise this figure, and today's official announcement of the new climate plan confirms the new target of 55%.
Since 1990, emissions in the EU have already decreased by 24%, which means that in order to achieve this new target, they must be reduced by another ~ 40% from their current level.
However, virtually all of the EU emission reductions have been achieved through cleaner electricity production and regulation of energy-intensive industries. Transport has not achieved similar emission reductions since 1990. In fact, transport is the only sector where emissions have increased since 1990 and now account for over a quarter of total EU emissions.
The largest increase in emissions occurred in aviation, followed by maritime transport, followed by road transport. Emissions from rail transport have decreased. Aviation emissions have skyrocketed as Europeans increasingly rely on cheap flights to travel around the continent instead of more efficient modes of transport such as rail.
But road transport is still the king of emissions: 72% of EU transport emissions come from for road transport, and 60% of emissions from road transport are accounted for by passenger cars.
A number of EU countries have already proposed to end sales of internal combustion vehicles before 2035. Some are targeting 2030, and some are even earlier. Norway is ahead of the rest with a 2025 target, which is easy to achieve given that CO2-emitting cars already account for <10% of total new car sales. And the UK, which was previously a member of the EU, has twice shifted its target, from 2040-2035 to 2030.
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