“Of the world’s four largest greenhouse gas emitters the EU has made by far the most progress in slashing emissions. A report released last week by the UN Environment Programme calculated that EU emissions fell 7.5 percent last year – compared to a 1.4-percent drop in the United States, and a jump of 5.2 and 6.1 percent respectively in China and India.”
This is largely driven by swapping out coal for renewables, which means the EU is on track for its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. China and India have growing electricity demand, that even China with its vast renewables manufacturing capability, can’t meet from renewables alone. There is talk in the EU about speeding up efforts to try to reach carbon neutrality sooner. Crucially, this can now be tied to a pro-economic growth agenda which will get more right-wing parties in the European Parliament on board.
To be honest, as a Dutchman I think our current right-wing government parties will decide that their dislikes for “the environment” outweigh any economical advantages.
“The environment” is in qoutes because they’ve separated the word from the meaning, to them the inveronment is an abstract thing that “left” people talk about. Also, not actual left, just all the people who don’t agree with them.
My hope, and my belief, is that the switch to greener options has started and might not be easily stopped. EUs fit for 55 is a big deal and on the transportation side we see electrics making inroads in the market in a rather big way. Gas prices has plummeted and since production hasn’t gone up, it’s just demand side left.
On the construction side if things green heating options has diversified, come down in price and with local low temperature heat storage solutions might be even cheaper and less power hungry.
The only fly in the ointment is that we need to describe it as “increasing resilience”, “cutting cost” and “decreasing dependency on over seas deliveries”. As long as nobody mention “the inveronment” as the reason to do something.
the switch to greener options has started and might not be easily stopped
Definitely for EU. No matter how much they love the US, they know that FF dependency is hurting them more than any one country dependency. While article says China emissions have gone up, they are likely to finish down for the year. As of summer, there is also a big drop in NG imports from China. China EV success is also reducing their oil imports/refining.
The backdrop for this is the delusion in US politics with right wing saying that we need to massively increase LNG export capacity even as their customers are rapidly reducing NG imports.
Idk how you did it but the way you casually but precisely summed up the populistic strategies is just beautiful.
Thank you!
data was evidence of the “continued decoupling of emissions and economic growth” in the bloc.
German industrial collapse is driving this. Industry needs large amounts of baseline power and that is more heavily tied to fossil fuels. Light industry and homes can more easily run on renewables where the output is less stable.
Also things like component sales have plummeted inside the EU mainly driven by the decline of German automotive industry. None of this is good. Being an increasingly poorer and uncompetitive service economy that buys Chinese goods and acts high and mighty because it can be more green is not a good direction.
As someone who knows almost nothing about the EU, can you tell me/point me somewhere where I can learn more about German industrial collapse?
You could just google, there are many articles over the past few years.
https://www.politico.eu/article/rust-belt-on-the-rhine-the-deindustrialization-of-germany/ https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/high-energy-prices-bring-about-first-signs-deindustrialisation-germany-rwe-head
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/2024/02/29/german-deindustrialization-is-a-wake-up-call-for-us-manufacturers/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tilakdoshi/2024/05/09/as-europe-deindustrializes-can-economic-suicide-be-avoided/
Holy shit that’s bad.
This is old news as a result of first winter after Ukraine war. NG prices are back down to “normal” now. Electricity demand is high/growing. Renewables growth is far higher than electricity demand growth is the reason emissions are down. It’s fair to say EU economy is not booming though.
America needs to get with the program. It’s waaay to hot in October nowadays.
No. It’s evidence for deindustrialization and dropping living standards.
No. Electric demand is growing even as NG and coal is dropping. NG prices are back down in EU to prior to obviousness of Ukraine war. Emissions from chemical/industrial use of NG aren’t counted though in OP.
