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Six EU countries join call for 100% renewable energy scenario

(EurActiv, 13 Mar 2020) Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain have sent a joint letter to the European Commission calling for the inclusion of a 100% renewable energy scenario in long-term climate projections.

“The serious risks of climate change are at the heart of [citizens’] concerns,” the six countries write in reference to young people who have led the climate marches that have swept Europe for over a year.

“As leaders, we have the responsibility to show the younger generation that they are being heard,” add the signatories, which include the energy and environment ministers of Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain.

In November 2018, the Commission unveiled eight energy scenarios for 2050, outlining different emission-cutting pathways to make Europe’s economy compliant with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

But none of the eight options, which range from business-as-usual to net-zero emission cuts, included a scenario based on 100% renewable energies. And only two of them achieve climate neutrality, which in the meantime was chosen by EU heads of states and government as the preferred option.

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EurActiv, 13 Mar 2020: Six EU countries join call for 100% renewable energy scenario