GeneralEU pledges 90 percent cut to carbon emissions by 2040That's a steeper reduction than any other major polluter, including China.Steve DentReporterWed, December 10, 2025 at 1:39 PM UTCThe European Union has provisionally agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent (based on 1990 levels) by 2040, the EU parliament announced in a press release.That goes beyond the goals of most other major economies, including China, but falls short of the original one recommended by the EU's climate science advisors."The target delivers on the need for climate action while safeguarding our competitiveness and security," said Denmark's minister Lars Aagaard, who helped negotiate the deal.The new accord — a vital step in the bloc's long-term goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 — was a political compromise months in the making.
On one hand, countries like Poland and Hungary argued that deeper cuts would be too onerous for industries already facing high energy costs.And on the other, members including Spain and Sweden said action was needed to help blunt extreme weather events and allow the EU to catch up with China in green tech manufacturing.To achieve the target, European industries will need to reduce emissions by 85 percent and sell carbon credits to developing nations to make up the balance.The EU also agreed on an option to use additional international carbon credits (up to five percent) to soften the impact on industry and to delay a carbon tax for fuel by a year to 2028.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven with the reduced targets Europe is more committed than all other major polluters, having already cut emissions 37 percent from 1990 levels.
During the same period, the US has only managed a reduction of about 7 percent, according to Statista.And under the Trump administration, the US has once again pulled out of the Paris climate accord, scrubbed references to climate change from government sites and promoted polluting energy sectors like coal and gas.The deal must still be ratified by the EU parliament and individual countries to become law.Normally, though, that's a formality for such pre-agreed deals.
