The "yellow vest" protests in France prove that the strategy of the European Union to become climate-neutral by 2050 must be carefully explained to the EU public, Elisabeth Koestinger, Austrian Minister of Sustainability and Tourism, said on Wednesday.
KATOWICE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2018) The "yellow vest" protests in France prove that the strategy of the European Union to become climate-neutral by 2050 must be carefully explained to the EU public, Elisabeth Koestinger, Austrian Minister of Sustainability and Tourism, said on Wednesday.
"The strategy explores ways in which Europe can lead the way to climate neutrality by investing in realistic technology solutions and aligning climate action in key policy areas while also empowering citizens and ensuring social fairness and just transition. I would say this really explicitly because when you look for example to the protests of the yellow vests in France we really have to acknowledge that we have to make this transition with the people, and with society and it is important that people understand what we are doing and why it is so urgent," Koestinger said at an EU side event at COP24 at the Katowice Climate Change Conference.
In November, EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete announced that the European Union is aiming to become the first major "climate-neutral" economy in the world by 2050. The plan means that EU countries would not emit CO2 anymore by 2050, or at least that all emissions of CO2, the main "greenhouse gas," would be compensated by planting more trees and introducing carbon capture technologies, which would see the CO2 buried underground. According to the bloc, "the move will also cut premature air pollution deaths by 40 percent."
France has seen a wave of mass protests since mid-November, when the so-called yellow vest protesters � named after the obligatory attribute of French drivers � took to the streets to rally against rising fuel prices and a planned hike in tax on diesel and carbon fuels. The yellow vest rallies in France have been marked by violent clashes with police officers, who have used tear gas and rubber bullets against the protesters.
