Sweden unveils plans to be carbon-neutral by 2050

clipped from www.energyefficiencynews.com Ahead of assuming its presidency of the European Union in July this year, Sweden has unveiled plans to put itself at the head of the fight against climate change with a pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2050. The country was one of the first to enact carbon taxes back in 1990, but has now announced a much more ambitious plan to be carbon neutral through efforts in three areas. “We are the first industrial country to present a very clear route to make ourselves independent of fossil energy and reduce emissions to the levels climate measures require,” says Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren. First, the plan aims to increase energy efficiency across the board. Next, the Government aims to ramp up the country’s renewable energy production to 50% by 2020. Finally, the plan promises to transform the country’s vehicles from a reliance on fossil fuels to other sources such as ethanol or biogas.