Citizens of the European Union could save an estimated 110 billion euros ($130 billion) in health damages over the next 10 years if greenhouse gas emissions are cut by 55 percent, the European Commission said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2020) Citizens of the European Union could save an estimated 110 billion Euros ($130 billion) in health damages over the next 10 years if greenhouse gas emissions are cut by 55 percent, the European Commission said on Thursday.
As part of the bloc's 2030 Climate Target Plan, published one day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's state of the union speech, the EU said that an overall commitment to reducing air pollution would lead to significant health care savings.
"Combined with the existing clean air policy, a 55% reduction in GHG emissions would reduce air pollution by 60% by 2030, compared to 2015. This will substantially improve the health of Europeans and reduce health damages by at least EUR 110 billion compared to 2015 levels," the European Commission said in a press release.
Should EU member states meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent, the European Commission also predicted that fossil fuel imports would drop by a quarter, leading to savings of a further 100 billion euros ($118 billion) over the next decade.
"Reducing GHG emissions by 55% by 2030 would mean that the volume of fossil fuel imports falls by over 25% compared to 2015 levels. Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 would therefore save EUR 100 billion in the next decade and up to EUR 3 trillion by 2050," the bloc said.
As part of her Green Deal, President von der Leyen pledged to set a target of making the EU entirely carbon-neutral by 2050. Speaking on Wednesday, von der Leyen said that the revised targets would help the bloc meet its target to limit the temperature increase of the planet by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
