Bellona welcomes the decision to support a higher ambition level in the Communication on a 2040 Climate Target, published alongside the Industrial Carbon Management Strategy, where the EU sets its sights towards reducing net emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, on the lower end of scientific recommendations. However, the suggested target overly relies on the removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere and fails to distinguish between removals sequestrated in temporary land sinks and permanent storage. As outlined by Bellona Europa in the past, these must be managed separately due to their fundamentally different characteristics and storage duration.  

The 2040 target impact assessment shows that to meet its climate objectives the EU needs to intensify its effort to transition its energy system towards an efficient one based on renewables. Frontloading investments in generation, transmission and direct electrification is crucial to ensure maximum mitigation outcomes. The need to both expand and clean up the EU’s power sector is made clear in the EU’s plans. However, the ability of the power sector to decarbonise and grow to the extent expected requires further clarification and efforts in the coming months. Much emphasis is placed on capturing huge volumes of CO₂ directly from the atmosphere, as well as producing electrolytic hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and other synthetic materials – potentially requiring several Germany’s-worth of annual electricity production with often questionable climate benefits. While those processes will very likely have a contribution, the expectations placed on these technologies, which draw significant amounts of clean power from the energy system, will need to be managed in the coming years.  

PDF document below.

• Press Release 06-02-24 2040 Climate Target (pdf)