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The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

theverge.com

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Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#41

Post by mytailorisrich »

nhma wrote: post #18

The EU could take a page out of Denmark's climate playbook to easily meet emissions targets. A large contributor of projected Danish emissions has been low-lying wetlands converted to farmland via draining. Calculations predicted that reflooding these areas could saves millions of tons of emissions, so this became a hot political topic. However, the Danish climate minister recently announced that he had wonderful cli…

If they destroy productive farmland, what's the impact on food supplies and food prices?

This sounds desperate and counterproductive so good of they can 'justify' not doing it.

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#42

Post by mytailorisrich »

phicoh wrote: post #20
Traubenfuchs wrote: post #17

We recently got a series of articles on the EUs stagnating economy and industry and a few days later we get this ludicrous proposal. The EU is probably one of the most masochistic regional entities in the world.

Sometimes regulation can help an industry forward quite a bit. For example when a cleaner technology requires massive investments, but nobody wants to be first. When there is a clear cut-off date, like with ICE cars in the EU, then manufacturers can justify the investments and go ahead. At the same time, a lot of spending on green technologies often means a lot of local jobs. Which can be good for the economy if the…

Long term you cannot maintain "good quality of life" if you don't produce the wealth to pay for it.

We're already seeing this happening in Europe.

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#44

Post by jurschreuder »

This article makes it sound very unrealistic.

But emission is already down 45% since 1990 in the EU and they're ahead of the original targets because of the war with Russia.

In 2023 alone emission from the power sector was cut by 23%.

I would not be surprised if this target is met a lot sooner than 2040.

Source: https://electrek.co/2024/02/06/eu-coal-and-gas-collapse-wind...

Investing in the energy sector makes a lot of sense for the EU because one of its biggest problems is the cost of energy, mainly caused by its reliance on fossil fuels.

So also purely from an economical point of view this is a good strategy.

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#46

Post by toomuchtodo »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #35
zihotki wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't help when you have a big storm, sunless/windless winter or any other combination of factors covering big area. Plus fragility of the supply, limitations of power lines and network, etc. As soon as you add more real life factors it doesn't look that promising. To have a potential doesn't imply to have a feasibility. I have nothing agains further improving the network and load-balancing it smarter, but it'…

I don't disagree, fossil gas generators will be the last fossil generators to go (gas peakers and oil are already uneconomical compared to battery storage [1] [2] [3]). We're just arguing time horizon and deployment trajectories [4]. Certainly, don't tear down efficient fossil gas generators until they're no longer needed, but keep building renewables, storage, and transmission like our lives depend on it, because th…

Citation: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-02-07/the-ga... | https://archive.today/9YQIP ("Bloomberg Opinion: Big Gas Needs to Be a Backup; Instead of a Bridge, Utilities should emphasize their role of keeping the lights on when renewables can’t and pivot away from a reliance on increasing volumes.")

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#47

Post by menschmanfred »

coldtea wrote: post #39
menschmanfred wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sooo your solution is to just do nothing at all?

My solution to the problem of pollution, or to the problem of vaccuous promises by politicians which is what I pointed at?

You believe so and criticize it.

To do what? If nothing happens it wasn't worth it to point it it.

So apparently you care enough about this topic to complain were is your solutions than to add something useful to it?

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#48

Post by anovikov »

coldtea wrote: post #13
bryanlarsen wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OTOH, it could be as trustworthy as the Montreal protocol of 1987 which agreed to reduce CFC production by 50% by 1999. Instead production in signatory countries hit 0 by 1996. Measured scepticism is rational. Blind scepticism isn't.

Those were just specific substances for which they had a replacement at hand (and those HCFC and HFC replacements? Turns out they're not so good for environment either, and they had to start restricting those too, though they're still going strong). Not for something general, like overall polution, of which there's 0 chance to reduce to 90%, or even 50% by 2040. Let's wait and see who called it.

Reduction by 55% from 1990 levels (with no flimsy items counted into this such as sequestration) by 2030 is now seen as below-inertial scenario: emissions will be lower even if nothing else is done. We are already about 35% under 1990 levels. So you are certainly wrong on that one.

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#49

Post by anovikov »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #15
coldtea wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those were just specific substances for which they had a replacement at hand (and those HCFC and HFC replacements? Turns out they're not so good for environment either, and they had to start restricting those too, though they're still going strong). Not for something general, like overall polution, of which there's 0 chance to reduce to 90%, or even 50% by 2040. Let's wait and see who called it.

50% is trivial. It's already down 33% from 2012. The top three air pollution sources are electricity generation, heating and transport. There are zero emission replacements at hand for all 3, all being actively deployed.

And pollution from electricity generation are 46% down in only 7 years, 2016-2023.

Re: The EU proposes slashing pollution 90% by 2040

#50

Post by Astraco »

stavros wrote: post #38
Astraco wrote: post #30

EU proposes being poorer by 2040

Why care about the environment when you can be richhhhhhhh

I don't want to be rich but I don't want to be poor either. These policies won't save the planet, and will make the life of millions of people miserable. And if you are worried about the rich, look at who making money with theses decisions an who is lobbying the EU.
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