ScoMo is the lone voice pushing gas in a world that looks to carbon neutrality

Japan’s new prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced this week his country’s climate change policy of carbon neutrality by 2050. This is the latest major economy to announce their push towards a carbon neutral future. The others include Europe and China. And it was quickly followed by South Korea.

Europe’s environment ministers reached a partial agreement last week and adopted a common position on the planned EU climate law, which will make the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 legally binding.

While part of Europe’s green recovery plans, the goal to achieve carbon neutrality dates back before the impacts of COVID-19.

The European Commission first set out its vision to achieve a climate-neutral European Union until 2050, in November 2018. This vision was in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to “well below 2°C above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”.

The European Parliament endorsed the objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 on March 14, 2019. Subsequently, the European Council approved the goal of a climate-neutral EU by 2050 on December 12, 2019.

The goal of the European Commission is to achieve a European “Green Deal”, an intended growth strategy which aims to transform its 27 member states from high- to low-carbon economies while not reducing prosperity.