President von der Leyen launches a new initiative on global targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy
“Working together to achieve net zero is a must for the climate, a new frontier for technology, an opportunity for businesses and a driver for good jobs”, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, speaking on 20 April at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. The Forum was convened by the US President Joe Biden to galvanize efforts needed to tackle the climate crisis and keep a 1.5°C limit on warming within reach.
President von der Leyen highlighted key actions the European Union has taken towards achieving this goal, across four areas of work: decarbonizing energy, ending deforestation of the Amazon and other critical forests, tackling potent, non-CO2 climate pollutants, and advancing carbon management.
President von der Leyen also launched a new initiative to work together towards global targets for energy efficiency, and renewable energy. “We could develop these targets by the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 [in December 2023], together with organisations like the International Energy Agency”, she explained, adding that these targets would complement other goals, such as the phase out of unabated fossil fuels or the ambitious goals for zero emission vehicles and ships.
She underlined the progress made in clean energy and called for its acceleration. She told the Forum that the EU had just raised its 2030 target for renewables, from 32% up to over 42%, and also increased its energy efficiency target. In carbon management, the Commission has proposed a binding European target for carbon storage capacity – storing 50 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.
Furthermore, President von der Leyen referred to the EU's participation in the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership, including its commitment to invest EUR 1 billion in reducing deforestation by 2024.
Speaking of non-CO2 pollutants, she called upon all participants of the Global Methane Pledge to come up with roadmaps ‘to turn pledges into action', stressing that the EU would continue contributing to the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund.