EU heads of states have agreed on a 55% reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but the inclusion of carbon sinks and the choice of 1990 as the baseline year have led environmentalists to criticise the deal for lacking ambition.
When EU leaders agreed a new climate goal for 2030 on Friday morning after a night of marathon talks, there was a smell of victory in the air.
“Kudos to the EU for pulling the future into the present, with huge benefits for people, planet and profit,” said Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).