The EU has submitted to the UNFCCC its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) after it was approved by the environment council.
The EU INDC confirms the bloc will achieve at least a 40% domestic reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. Countries must submit an INDC well in advance of the climate summit in Paris in December.
The EU claims its INDC puts the bloc on a cost-effective pathway towards reducing emissions by 80% by 2050, and is also in line with the objective of reducing global emissions by 60% compared with 2010 levels by middle of the century.
“It is our fair share of what has to be done to achieve the internationally agreed below 2°C target,” said Miguel Arias Cañete, commissioner for climate action and energy. As the environmentalist went to press, Switzerland was the only other country to have submitted its INDC.