EU leaders to decide tougher climate goal in December

[BRUSSELS] EU leaders on Thursday said they will decide on a more stringent climate target for 2030 at a summit in December, leaving more time to forge a united response to climate change.

Ambitious climate goals are backed by big EU powers including France and Germany, as well as many major businesses, but face resistance from eastern member states still dependent on coal for energy.

The 27 leaders meeting in Brussels said they will return to the issue "with the aim of agreeing on a new emission reduction target for 2030", conclusions from the summit said.

As part of its commitments to Paris Climate Agreement, the EU has pledged to being climate-neutral by 2050 when it would offset or capture more greenhouse gas than it emits.

However, the current interim target for 2030 - a 40 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 1990 - is not sufficient to achieve the goal.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has therefore proposed a target of at least 55 per cent, while the European Parliament has gone even further with 60 per cent.

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AFP