EU will do ‘as much as possible’ to drive out fossil fuels, climate chief says

The European Union will do all it can to halt fossil fuel use as part of its “ambitious” position at the upcoming COP28 climate summit, the EU’s new climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said on Monday.

“Our ambition is indeed to do as much as possible, also in terms of driving out fossil fuels,” Hoekstra told journalists after a meeting with Spain’s acting Energy Minister Teresa Ribera.The climate summit comes as the European Union’s own green agenda is facing growing political resistance from governments and lawmakers concerned about the cost of the proposals for voters.European Parliament elections will be held next year at a time when citizens throughout the bloc are facing cost of living pressures.The new EU climate chief declined to give details of the EU negotiating mandate for the COP28.Spain, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, has been pushing for an international coalition at the upcoming summit to back the 2015 Paris deal’s target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

via Reuters