The EU is poised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 54% by 2030—just 1% short of its legally binding 55% target—thanks to stronger national climate policies, according to the European Commission’s latest review.
The European Union is close to achieving its major climate goal for 2030, with existing national policies expected to deliver a 54% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, the European Commission reported on Wednesday.
This falls just one percentage point shy of the bloc’s legally binding 55% emissions reduction target. The analysis, which assessed climate strategies across all member states, found that countries have significantly ramped up efforts to reduce emissions over the past two years.
Despite facing political pressure from some member states to ease environmental rules, the EU has maintained its green trajectory. However, challenges remain. Agriculture and transport sectors are still lagging, and environmental damage from wildfires has hindered the land’s ability to absorb carbon.
By 2023, the EU had already achieved a 37% drop in emissions compared to 1990, even as the economy expanded by nearly 70%—a sign, according to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, that sustainability and growth can go hand in hand. “We now need to double down and invest in clean technologies so industries can benefit from Europe’s green transition,” he said.
The energy sector showed strong progress, with renewable sources accounting for 24% of EU energy consumption in 2023. But the environmental impact of land use—especially agriculture and forestry—worsened, partly due to record-breaking wildfires across the continent.
Farmers across Europe protested throughout last year, criticizing the EU’s green regulations. In response, Brussels relaxed some environmental rules for agriculture, a sector that has largely avoided stricter climate obligations so far.
Europe remains the fastest-warming continent on Earth, with devastating floods and wildfires becoming increasingly common. Meanwhile, high energy costs and external trade concerns, like potential U.S. tariffs, have sparked calls from some governments to ease the EU’s green policies.
The 2030 climate goal is one of the most ambitious globally. While the Commission is preparing a 2040 emissions target, political resistance has delayed the proposal.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Japan’s core inflation rose to a more than two-year high in May, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target for over three years and increasing pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to resume rate hikes.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov discussed bilateral partnership and regional security on the sidelines of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Istanbul.
Kyrgyzstan's First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiev met with Gazprombank First Vice President Oleg Melnikov during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to discuss strengthening financial cooperation.
Two Nigerian communities will take Shell to trial in the UK in 2027 after winning a court ruling over Niger Delta oil pollution.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Japan’s core inflation rose to a more than two-year high in May, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target for over three years and increasing pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to resume rate hikes.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov discussed bilateral partnership and regional security on the sidelines of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Istanbul.
Kyrgyzstan's First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiev met with Gazprombank First Vice President Oleg Melnikov during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to discuss strengthening financial cooperation.
Two Nigerian communities will take Shell to trial in the UK in 2027 after winning a court ruling over Niger Delta oil pollution.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
A 32°C heatwave expected to grip England has been made a 100 times more likely by human-caused climate change, according to a rapid scientific analysis released Thursday.
In 19 EU countries, the share of renewable energy sources in net electricity generation decreased in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the first quarter of 2024. The largest drops were recorded in Greece (-12.4%), Lithuania (-12.0%) and Slovakia (-10.6%).
The first side event of the Global South NGO Platform, initiated by Azerbaijan, was held in Bonn, Germany this week.
Egypt’s first integrated solar and battery storage plant will deliver dispatchable clean energy, enhance grid stability and manage peak demand. The project is expected to generate approximately 3,000 GWh of clean energy and avoid up to 1.4 million metric tonnes of emissions per year.
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves, has announced a record £2.5 billion in additional funding this week to advance the development of the world’s first fusion power plant.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Japan’s core inflation rose to a more than two-year high in May, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target for over three years and increasing pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to resume rate hikes.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov discussed bilateral partnership and regional security on the sidelines of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Istanbul.
Kyrgyzstan's First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiev met with Gazprombank First Vice President Oleg Melnikov during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to discuss strengthening financial cooperation.
Two Nigerian communities will take Shell to trial in the UK in 2027 after winning a court ruling over Niger Delta oil pollution.
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