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Part of the book series: Energy, Climate and the Environment ((ECE))

Abstract

In this volume, we explored the implications of the EU’s objective to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80–95 per cent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels, on internal and external EU policies and strategies. The GHG emission reduction goal was agreed at the political level by the European Council of heads of state and government of EU member states in October 2009 (European Council, 2009). The societal transformation implied in such a goal is summed up in the term ‘decarbonization’. Aiming for decarbonization responds to calls from the global scientific community (most notably expressed through the periodic reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to reduce dramatically our GHG emissions as soon as possible to avoid potentially catastrophic consequences of human-induced climate change (IPCC, 2013). All contributors to this book approached their particular topic with the decarbonization goal as the main point of reference of their analysis.

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© 2015 Claire Dupont and Sebastian Oberthür

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Dupont, C., Oberthür, S. (2015). Conclusions: Lessons Learned. In: Dupont, C., Oberthür, S. (eds) Decarbonization in the European Union. Energy, Climate and the Environment. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137406835_12

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