World

Brussels recommends 90% emissions cut as the EU's 2040 climate target

Published

2 years ago

February 6, 2024

The European Union must slash greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, Brussels said on Tuesday in a recommendation aimed at ensuring climate neutrality becomes a reality by mid-century.

The 90% reduction, as compared to 1990s levels, would entail a massive deployment of renewable systems, the irreversible abolition of coal, and the near-total disappearance of gas from the bloc’s energy system, as well as profound changes in transport, food, buildings, factories and waste management.

The target is necessary to keep the EU aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which committed nations to keep the Earth’s long-term average temperature well below 2°C and, preferably, below 1.5°C, a goal that each year appears to slip further away.

The sense of urgency dramatically ratcheted up when 2023 was declared the warmest year since records began in 1850, laying bare the ticking bomb set by the climate crisis.

For the time being, though, the 2040 ambition is a non-binding recommendation from the European Commission to kick-start the political debate. A formal proposal would be put forward only after the elections to the European Parliament, a timing carefully chosen to prevent far-right parties from exploiting the issue.

“Setting a 2040 climate target will help European industry, investors, citizens and governments to make decisions in this decade that will keep the EU on track to meet its climate neutrality objective in 2050,” the Commission said in a press release.

“It will send important signals on how to invest and plan effectively for the longer term, minimising the risks of stranded assets.”

The legislative process ahead is guaranteed to be fractious and polarising as the Green Deal is feeling a growing backlash from conservatives, farmers and industry, all of whom complain about the excessive burden placed by environmental regulation.

The rebellion began brewing when Brussels launched Fit for 55, a far-reaching bundle of laws designed to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% before the end of this decade. The package introduced unprecedented measures like a carbon border tax and a gradual ban on fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

But it was the Nature Restoration Law, which technically speaking was not part of Fit For 55, that unleashed the backlash and exposed a deepening divide between right-wing and left-wing politicians. Since then, the Green Deal has become the subject of open, scathing criticism, as shown in the farmer protests that recently took over several member states, such as France, Germany, Belgium, Poland and Italy.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has reacted by putting farmers at the centre of her speeches and praising their resilience as they battle the cost-of-living crisis. On Tuesday, just hours before the 2040 climate target was revealed, von der Leyen announced the withdrawal of a contentious pesticide law that had been vehemently opposed by the agricultural sector.

The fury on the streets stands in sharp contrast with the ominous warnings issued by climate scientists, who repeatedly urge governments, particularly major economies like the EU, the US, China and India, to step up their climate policies and slash greenhouse gas emissions at a faster, more resolute pace.

Last September, the United Nations said the window of opportunity to comply with the Paris Agreement was “rapidly closing” and called for “decisive action” to reverse the trend. Months later, nations gathered at COP28 struck a historic deal to transition away from fossil fuels “in a just, orderly and equitable manner” to “achieve net zero by 2050.”

Under the so-called Global Stocktake initiated in Dubai, the Commission is compelled to propose a binding 2040 target within six months of the conference.

Unlike the 2030 target, the 2040 figure recommended on Tuesday is not preceded by “at least,” meaning the 90% cut is understood as a maximum ceiling rather than a minimum floor. The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change previously pushed for a stringent 2040 target, somewhere between 90% and 95% of all emissions.

The shadow of the farmer protests weighs heavily over the spirit of the Commission’s announcement, which is peppered with allusions to “fairness,” “solidarity,” “competitiveness” and the importance of sustaining a continued dialogue with industry.

The executive, however, insists the commitments made under the 2030 target, including the Fit For 55 agenda, must be implemented in full to achieve the 90% cut by 2040.

“With the right policies and support, the agriculture sector can also play a role in the transition, while ensuring sufficient food production in Europe, securing fair incomes and providing other vital services such as enhancing the capacity of soils and forests to store more carbon,” the press release says.

“A holistic dialogue with the broader food industry, also beyond the farm gate, is crucial to success in this area and to the development of sustainable practices and business models.”

Reacting to the news, environmental organizations were highly critical of the 90% figure because the target, as envisioned by the Commission, would be “net” and leave the door open for carbon removal, the still-unproved technologies that fossil fuel producers favour because it would allow them to continue parts of their polluting operations.

“This is about as meaningful as a target to prevent lung cancer without any plan to end smoking,” said Silvia Pastorelli, a climate campaigner with Greenpeace. “It is blatantly clear that fossil fuels must be brought to a swift end if we want to avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown.”

This piece has been updated with more information about the announcement.

World

Iran War Live Updates: U.S. to Blockade Ships From Iranian Ports

Published

9 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

The blockade on ships “entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas” will begin on Monday, U.S. Central Command said. But U.S. forces will not impede vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a step back from President Trump’s earlier vow.

World

Iran in crisis as US talks collapse, Mojtaba’s ‘mafia’ regime blocks Khamenei burial: analyst

Published

10 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Iran in crisis as US talks collapse, Mojtaba’s ‘mafia’ regime blocks Khamenei burial: analyst

US ships move to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz

Ret. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub discusses President Donald Trump’s announcing U.S. ships are preparing to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Fox News correspondent Alex Hogan reports on ‘Fox Report.’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A prolonged delay in the burial of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signals a deepening crisis inside the Islamic Republic, according to a prominent Iranian strategist.

Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrad’s remarks came as peace talks between the United States and Iran stalled and internal tensions raised questions about the regime’s stability.

Fortieth-day mourning ceremonies for Khamenei began in Iran on April 9, with authorities withholding information about his burial more than 40 days after his killing. A three-day state funeral scheduled for early March 2026 had already been postponed.

IRAN’S CEASEFIRE PUSH MAY BE A ‘CYCLE OF DECEPTION,’ ANALYSTS WARN AS SHADOWY FIGURE GAINS POWER

Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran and second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 13, 2024. (Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA/Reuters)

“Forty-four days have passed, and the regime does not have the confidence to publicly bury Mojtaba’s dead father,” Sepehrrad of the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) told Fox News Digital.

“That is an indicator of the fear within this regime from top to bottom,” Sepehrrad added, before describing how, usually, “a religious regime believes that their dead must be buried in 24 hours.”

Khamenei was killed Feb. 28 in a strike targeting a regime compound in central Tehran, with a separate strike affecting his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who succeeded him.

Mojtaba is said to be still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries, three people close to his inner circle told Reuters on April 11.

Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran, and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, three sources told the outlet.

“The 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.”

IRAN MODERATES PUSHING TRUMP DEAL RISK BEING ‘ELIMINATED’ AS REGIME FRACTURES DEEPEN

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of the judiciary and Alireza Arafi, deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, attend the meeting of the interim leadership council of Iran in an unknown location, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Iran, March 1, 2026. (IRIB/WANA/Handout/Reuters)

He is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues, including the war and negotiations with Washington, two of the sources say, according to reports.

The report came as Iran navigated diplomatic efforts with the U.S. in Islamabad aimed at easing tensions amid a two-week ceasefire, which ultimately failed to produce a breakthrough.

“Mojtaba input in the broad red lines of negotiations, even if he is not the public face,” Sepehrrad claimed. “At the end of the day, for more than 10 years, he served as his father’s right-hand man and as a conduit to the IRGC.”

“Mojtaba may be less rhetorical, less publicly ideological, and more operational because his primary focus is survival of the regime.”

Iran also confirmed Sunday it had no plans for further peace talks after the marathon summit, where Pakistan mediated.

“No plan has yet been announced for the time, place, or next round of negotiations,” Iranian state news agency Nour reported Saturday, citing the country’s Supreme National Security Council, with no statement from the new Supreme Leader.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER MOJTABA KHAMENEI ‘MISFUNCTIONING,’ NOT CONTROLLING REGIME: SOURCES

A mourner holds a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (top-L) on March 5, 2026, during a funeral procession for members of Iraq’s pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataeb Hezbollah) who were killed in a strike in Baghdad the previous day. The Tehran-backed Iraqi group Kataeb Hezbollah said on March 5 that one of its commanders was killed in a strike in southern Iraq the previous day. (Ahmed Al-Rubaye/AFP)

“Mojtaba is less the supreme leader in the traditional sense and more the coordinator of a security-led system,” Sepehrrad explained before describing him as “more like a security-backed coordinator.”

“This regime does not communicate with one unified voice. It communicates by function,” Sepehrrad said.

“One channel negotiates, another threatens, another punishes, and another tries to maintain ideological continuity. It is now a mafia,” the strategist claimed.

“The key point is not harmony but division of labor. What holds them together is regime survival, not trust.”

“What we are seeing now is deeper: a leader who lacks organic authority and therefore governs through the institution that controls force,” Sepehrrad said.

On the Iranian side, negotiations, the analyst said, also did involve “diplomats,” but a wider circle of security-linked figures shaping Tehran’s posture, reflecting the increasing dominance of hardline institutions.

US-SANCTIONED MOJTABA KHAMENEI NAMED IRAN’S NEXT SUPREME LEADER AFTER FATHER’S DEATH: REPORTS

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were greeted by Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon their arrival at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on April 11, 2026. (Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP)

“This was a brittle coalition of security men,” Sepehrrad said, before describing how Mojtaba is “at the top, but is heavily reliant on the Guards, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, SNSC chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, Judiciary chief Mohseni-Ejei, and law enforcement chief Ahmad-Reza Radan.”

“Several of the most important surviving figures are not primarily diplomats,” Sepehrrad said before suggesting that that should “change how we should read everything coming out of Tehran.”

“That is a different system from the one many Western analysts still think they are dealing with,” Sepehrrad explained. “Dual track — tactical flexibility in talks and a harsher repression at home.”

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“While the regime negotiates to buy time, reduce pressure on its forces, and prevent broader external escalation, internally, it is likely to intensify arrests, executions, intimidation, and internet controls now,” the strategist warned.

“The regime fears internal unrest more than diplomacy,” Sepehrrad said.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

Published

11 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

Media reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Representative Eric Swalwell prompt resignation calls.

By Reuters and The Associated Press

Published On 12 Apr 2026

Reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Congressman Eric Swalwell have shaken the California state gubernatorial race, where polls have shown him leading a crowded field of Democratic candidates seeking to replace Governor Gavin Newsom.

A number of influential Democratic Party lawmakers called on Swalwell to drop out of the race and resign from the United States Congress during TV interviews on Sunday, days after reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed alleged accounts of sexual assault from a former staffer and misconduct allegations from several other women.