EU countries lagging behind on wind energy goals, WWF warns

(EurActiv, 5 Oct 2023) Current wind energy deployment rates in European countries are not aligned with the EU’s climate change targets, according to a report published on Thursday (5 October) by the nature conservation NGO WWF.

Wind energy capacity in Europe is set to expand rapidly in the coming years.

The EU’s newly revised Renewable Energy Directive has set a target of 42.5% for wind, solar and biomass in the EU’s overall energy mix by 2030, meaning EU countries will have to nearly double their current capacity in less than a decade.

However, EU countries are currently not on track to reach this target, according to the WWF’s wind energy report, published on Thursday.

“Member States’ ambitions for wind deployment are broadly in line with the new RED targets – at least on paper,” said Arnaud Van Dooren, climate and energy policy officer at WWF Europe.

“The question is whether they’ll be able to meet them,” he added, saying EU countries will have to exceed those targets in order to limit global warming to 1.5C, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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EurActiv, 5 Oct 2023: EU countries lagging behind on wind energy goals, WWF warns