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Vital role for gas infrastructure in reducing GHG emissions Gas infrastructure is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Europe explains IGU affiliated organisation Gas Infrastructure Europe. By Barbara Jinks Climate change is happening and,
pursue efforts to limit the increase to
renewable energy. However, further
without further global action to
1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. By
measures are needed post 2030.
mitigate it, temperatures will rise
2020, parties to the Paris Agreement
within this century well beyond 2°C
must communicate their long-term
proposal for the strategy. The strategy
compared to pre-industrial times. This
GHG emission development strategies.
will comprise firstly remaining in the
will have major impacts on our
In March 2018, the European
By April 1, 2019 the EC will adopt a
carbon budget at global and EU levels
economies and societies. In order to
Council (EC) requested the Commission
and secondly contributing towards the
prevent this, at the 2015 UN Climate
to present a proposal for a strategy for
objective of net-zero emissions by 2050
Change Conference in Paris (COP 21),
long-term EU greenhouse gas emis
and negative emissions afterwards.
178 global partners cooperating under
sions reductions in accordance with
More than simply reducing emissions,
the UN Framework Convention on
the Paris Agreement.
the strategy intends to reflect a long-
Climate Change (UNFCCC) ratified the
The EU is currently putting in place
Paris Agreement that calls upon all
policies to reduce GHG emissions by at
countries to keep global temperature
least 40% in 2030 and achieve high
increase to well below 2°C, and to
levels of energy efficiency and
term vision of a modern European economy working for all Europeans. For this, the EC has embarked upon a series of public consultations as part of its strategy – including a stakeholder event on July 10-11, 2018 in Brussels entitled “The EU’s Vision for a Modern, Clean and Competitive Economy” and a questionnaire, entitled “Strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emis sions reductions”.1 Gas infrastructure representation Gas Transmission Europe (GTE) was established in 2000. Following the
GTE members include Snam Rete Gas whose gas dispatching centre in San Donato Milanese, Italy is pictured.
26 Vital role for gas infrastructure in reducing GHG emissions
1 The closing date for responses is October 9, 2018 and it is accessible at https://ec.europa.eu/clima/ consultations/strategy-long-term-eu-greenhousegas-emissions-reductions_en.
