The European Union’s climate chief has announced Europe is aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and plans to take the global lead in combating climate change.

Miguel Arias Cañete: “Going climate-neutral will deliver what Europeans want most of all: meaningful improvements to their daily lives. Energy-efficient homes will become the norm in a climate-neutral Europe. Transport will be clean and adapted to a modern, sustainable lifestyle. And today we have to acknowledge that air pollution causes severe diseases and almost half a million premature deaths annually in the European Union.”