Creation date
The European Green Deal is a roadmap designed to lead to a clean energy transition within the next 20 to 30 years. With the production and use of energy accounting for three-quarters of the European Union's greenhouse emissions, the priority for European leaders has shifted to decarbonizing the EU's entire energy system.
To that end, the European Green Deal is focused on three main principles:
- Building an affordable and stable EU energy supply
- Launching an interconnected, technology-based, and integrated EU energy market
- Prioritizing and improving the energy usage performance of buildings and creating a power sector that is based primarily on renewable energy sources.
Leading this charge is the European Commission, a multinational group focused on preventing worsening weather and other effects of climate change due to the production and use of fossil fuels. The Commission's stated methods of achieving its goal of reaching full carbon neutrality by 2050 are:
- Create infrastructure for interconnected energy systems with fully integrated power grids that support renewable energy sources
- Promote and encourage modern infrastructure upgrades and innovative energy technologies
- Encourage energy efficiency and eco-friendly product designs
- Fully decarbonize the natural gas sector and promote smart integration principles across all energy sectors
- Empower energy consumers across Europe and help all EU countries deal with energy poverty
- Spread EU energy standards and technologies around the world
- Fully build out and harness the potential of Europe's offshore wind energy capabilities.
In addition to reaching full carbon neutrality by 2050, the European Commission aims to use the European Green Deal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. To reach these goals, the European Green Deal is being used as a mandate to create new European standards for the EU's climate, transportation, and taxation policies that will make this important work feasible in the short and long term.