European Union proposes roadmap for slashing greenhouse gas emissions

Frans Timmermans, vice president of the European Commission, Adina Valean, transport commissioner of the European Union (EU), Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Paolo Gentiloni, economy commissioner of the European Union (EU), Kadri Simson, energy commissioner of the European Union (EU), and Janusz Wojciechowski, agriculture commissioner of the European Union (EU), (left to right) as the European Union (EU) unveils a landmark climate plan in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The EU is set to transform every corner of its economy — from how people heat their home to the cars they drive — as the bloc uses a massive overhaul of rules to position itself as a global leader on climate change. | Thierry Monasse/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The European Union put out a sweeping set of proposals today that could drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions if the plan ultimately becomes law. Internal combustion vehicles would be phased out by 2035, and it would rope industries like aviation and shipping, which were previously exempt from some EU climate policies, into compliance. The bloc also intends to influence polluters outside its borders by potentially making importers pay for their pollution.

All in all, it’s a roadmap to achieving a goal that Europeans have been hashing out for years. In 2019, the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, put forward a “Green Deal” to get the continent to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reaching that target...

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