European civil society organisations map out the first-ever NGO-led energy scenario based on 100% renewable energy and looking at reducing carbon emissions by at least 65% by 2030. The analysis corroborates existing evidence, showing that Europe can achieve climate neutrality by 2040 – a decade before the 2050 target – and lead the rest of the world in the energy transition.
Non-governmental organisations led by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and the European Environmental Bureau put forward their “Paris Agreement Compatible (PAC) Scenario for Energy Infrastructure” on the virtual European stage today showing that it is possible to achieve
• a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
• necessary for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040
• in a 100% renewable energy system in the EU by 2040
It is the first time that civil society organisations have collectively developed such a scenario, making this an outstanding contribution to the urgently needed cross-sectoral and cross-societal debate on how Europe’s energy future should look. The NGOs said the study is a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change, but they also called on European policymakers and energy infrastructure planners to show more ambition when drafting laws, targets and plans for our energy system.
Wendel Trio, Director of CAN Europe, said: “This scenario clearly shows that there’s only one type of barrier to being ambitious enough and limiting temperature rise to 1.5°: man-made ones. We have the technology, we have the resources and now is the moment for Europe to take transformational action.”
Patrick Ten Brink, Director of EU Policy, EEB, said: “This report shows that not only is climate neutrality possible, but it can also be achieved much earlier than suggested by the European Commission. It provides a roadmap for a healthier future and a more resilient economy based on clean energy and the principles of sustainability.”
The Renewables Grid Initiative’s CEO, Antonella Battaglini said: “Coinciding with the PAC Scenario launch, we have developed a ‘Request to Adapt European Energy Planning Scenarios’ supported by a broad group of energy actors. This Request stresses the need for planning energy infrastructure for a variety of scenarios – including those with very high shares of renewables and electrification – to better understand the options and the challenges ahead of us.”
To find out more about the PAC scenario and its implications, visit the PAC website.
ENDS
Contact:
Cristina Dascalu, communications coordinator, cristina@caneurope.org
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 170 member organisations active in 38 European countries, representing over 1.500 NGOs and more than 47million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies throughout Europe.
