Document is a report on the implementation of the EU's 2040 climate target and identifies the main building blocks and measures needed to achieve a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to 1990. The report highlights that Achieving the target by 2040 is essential to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and subsequently achieving negative emissions.

Key points of the report:

• Basic building blocks: The report identifies several key building blocks for achieving the goal by 2040:
  • Reducing energy consumption: Gross available energy is expected to decrease by approximately 30 % between 2021 and 2040. The largest reduction is expected in transport, followed by industry and the residential and tertiary sectors.
  • Availability of green electricity: Electrifying transport, buildings and industry requires vast amounts of green electricity. The document states that it is essential to increase storage capacity as systems are built on renewable energy.
  • Availability of sustainable biomass: Biomass and waste use is projected to increase by 30 % in IA S2 and S3 scenarios, representing approximately 20 % of gross available energy in 2040. However, the report highlights the uncertainty of biomass availability at this scale and the potential negative impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.
  • Availability of green hydrogen: A rapid increase in hydrogen consumption is projected, reaching 55-95 Mtoe by 2040 in scenarios S1-S2-S3. However, green hydrogen production is still in its early stages.
  • Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and utilization (CCU): CCS plays a significant role in the IA scenarios, with annual carbon capture ranging from less than 100 MtCO2 in the S1 scenario to around 350 MtCO2 per year in the S3 scenario by 2040.
  • Carbon removal: Removing carbon from the atmosphere through natural and industrial methods is crucial, with up to 400 Mt CO2 expected. However, the report highlights the declining capacity of natural “sinks” and uncertainties surrounding industrial carbon removal methods.
  • Financing and investments: The report stresses the need to ensure sufficient financing for the transition to a low-carbon economy.
• Sectoral measures: The report also addresses specific measures in individual sectors:
  • transportation: Transport emissions must fall by 73 %, with domestic transport falling by 82 % by 2040This requires extensive electrification of road transport, a shift to more environmentally friendly modes of transport and a reduction in traffic volumes. The share of battery electric vehicles should increase to 57-58% of % in 2040.
  • Buildings: A combination of measures is needed to achieve emission reduction targets, including setting minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and renovation obligations for residential buildings, increasing the annual growth of renewable energy, and phasing out the installation of new fossil fuel boilers.
  • Industry: Electrification of industrial processes is key to achieving the goals, which requires large-scale infrastructure investments. In addition, the circular economy and material efficiency need to be improved.
  • Agriculture: Reducing emissions from agriculture requires reducing livestock numbers, changing eating habits, and tax measures on meat and dairy products. Technical measures have limited potential to reduce emissions from livestock farming.
  • Energetics: The report highlights the need to reduce gross emissions from the energy sector by around 100% by 2040. Key measures are expanding the use of renewable energy, using nuclear energy and maintaining the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
• The importance of demand measures: The report points out that demand-side measures (e.g. circular economy, more sustainable consumption, reduction of food waste) are essential to reduce the risk that supply-side measures will not be sufficient.

Finally, the report highlights that Achieving the EU's 2040 climate target requires large-scale and coordinated efforts across sectors, while it is the urgent need to implement existing and new measures a at the same time, it is necessary to take into account environmental, social and economic impactsThe report also points out that Many of the technologies needed to achieve the goal are still in the early stages of development and their widespread deployment requires significant investment and political support.. Spring

Glossary of Key Terms

• BECCS (Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage): Biomass CO2 capture and storage technology.
• BEV (Battery-electric vehicles): Battery electric vehicles.
• CBAM (Carbon Boarder Adjustment Mechanism): A carbon border adjustment mechanism aimed at preventing carbon leakage.
• CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage): Carbon dioxide capture and storage technology.
• CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization): Capture and use of carbon dioxide, for example in fuel production.
• CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal): Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• CO2e (Carbon dioxide equivalents): Carbon dioxide equivalents, a unit used to compare different greenhouse gases.
• DACCS (Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage): Capturing CO2 directly from the air and storing it.
• ECL (European Climate Law): The European Climate Law, which sets the legal framework for EU climate policy.
• EED (Energy Efficiency Directive): The Energy Efficiency Directive, which sets targets for improving energy efficiency.
• EJ (Exajoules): Unit of energy.
• ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity): European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.
• ENTSO-G (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas): European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas.
• EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive): The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which sets energy standards for buildings.
• EU ETS (European Emissions Trading System): European Emissions Trading System.
• GAE (Gross Available Energy): Gross available energy.
• GHG (Greenhouse gas): Greenhouse gases.
• HGV (Heavy goods vehicles): Heavy trucks.
• IA (Impact Assessment): Impact assessment.
• ICE (Internal combustion engine): Internal combustion engine.
• LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry): Land use, land use change and forestry sector.
• Mtoe (Million tonnes of oil equivalent): One million tons of oil equivalent.
• NECPs (National Energy and Climate Plans): National energy and climate plans, which set national climate targets.
• NZIA (Net Zero Industry Act): Zero Emissions Industry Act.
• RFNBOs (Renewable fuels of non-biological origin): Renewable fuels of non-biological origin, such as e-fuels.
• RED (Renewable Energy Directive): The Renewable Energy Directive sets targets for the share of renewable sources.
• RRF (Recovery and Resilience Facility): A mechanism to support recovery and resilience.
• SAFs (Sustainable Aviation Fuels): Sustainable aviation fuels.
• STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform): Strategic technologies for the European platform.
• TEN-E (Trans-European Networks for Energy): Trans-European energy networks.
• TYNDPs (Ten-Year Network Development Plans): Ten-year network development plans.
• ZEVs (Zero-emission vehicles): Zero-emission vehicles.