NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2030

• The European Union wants 100 cities  including capitals Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam  to be carbon neutral by the end of the decade
• Berlin, which is not on the list, held a referendum in March on moving its target forward to 2030
• Despite a slim majority in favour of the plans, too few people voted overall for the law to pass
• Cities aiming to meet the target by 2030 would have to make unprecedented changes to the way their citizens move, live, eat and sleep
• In sectors like transport and buildings, the technologies to do so exist. The pathway is much less clear for industry and agriculture
• Supporters and scientists have highlighted that the shift to net-zero emissions by 2030 would quickly clean up the air, make streets safer and buildings more comfortable

• To keep global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)  the target to which world leaders promised to try to limit global warming  humanity must cut pollution fast
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the world needs to cut carbon emissions to net-zero by the middle of the century
• Net-zero means societies have to suck out as much carbon as they pump into the atmosphere
• But technologies to remove carbon dioxide are limited and scientists are unsure how much they can absorb
• Still, that finding has led more than 100 countries to set net-zero targets for around 2050
• Pressure is also rising on rich countries who have polluted the most, particularly those in Europe and North America, to move faster
• While 2050 is a global average, nearly all countries signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which accepts that countries have “common but differentiated responsibilities.”
• Experts say cities are good targets for faster action because they pump out a disproportionate share of greenhouse gases  partly because they have more people and tend to be richer
• Just 10 city regions in Europe are responsible for 7.5% of the continent’s total carbon dioxide emissions, a 2022 study found. The 100 dirtiest cities are responsible for 20% of the emissions
• Doing more  or doing anything  is always necessary and good because it will help us achieve our climate goals
• Still, bringing a city’s emissions down to zero or even close to it is hard
• In a sector like transport, officials could force out combustion engine cars, improve public transport and make streets easier to walk
• But electrifying the energy supply may require changes that need regional or national support
• The program helps members overcome structural, institutional and cultural barriers, with the idea that lessons from one can be applied to another
• Because most cities have only just started, it is unclear how likely they are to succeed
• If a good number of cities are able to achieve the goal as specified  and a larger number demonstrates they are able to move much more quickly to the outcome, even if they do not quite make it by 2030
• In some sectors, like heavy industry, technological solutions are some way off. Facilities to capture carbon and store it safely underground have not yet achieved the efficiency needed to clean up cement plants, for instance. That makes full decarbonization a challenge for more industrial cities
• Port cities like Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and Hamburg, in Germany will also struggle to clean up without help at a national or European level