Which technologies should be in the EU’s climate action toolbox?

(EurActiv, 8 Dec 2020) Experts disagree about which technologies should be used to meet the EU’s climate change targets.

This week, the EU Green Deal turns one year old. In the year since European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched it, the strategy has served as a framework on which all new EU policies should be pinned.

In theory, every EU law should be compatible with the target of reducing emissions to net zero by 2050. But what does compatible mean? That has been the subject of dispute.

Climate campaigners say only investment in carbon-free renewable energy technology is compatible with the Green Deal. But others say that natural gas, which has lower carbon intensity than coal and oil, should also be part of the transition as a bridge fuel. They also point out that gas infrastructure built now can be used in the future for carbon-free green hydrogen.

It isn’t just an academic debate. In order for the EU to deliver on its clean energy targets, significant investment is needed in the energy sector. Which technology to direct that investment toward has become one of the most contentious energy debates in Brussels.

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EurActiv, 8 Dec 2020: Which technologies should be in the EU’s climate action toolbox?