The European Commission has proposed a sweeping new plan to address the climate crisis. The European Green Deal would be the biggest overhaul of European policy since the foundation of the modern European Union system. This is European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Ursula von der Leyen: “We do not have all the answers yet. Today is the start of a journey. But this is Europe’s 'man on the moon' moment.”
The European Green Deal would seek to have Europe become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. It would also seek to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. European leaders are discussing the emissions goals at a summit in Brussels today. Environmentalists here at COP25 in Madrid, Spain, welcomed the plan but said it does not go far enough in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This is Greenpeace campaigner Martin Kaiser.
Martin Kaiser: “The new Green Deal proposed by the commission today is not an adequate answer to the climate emergency we see already in Europe.”