In this session from Reuters Events’ recent Virtual Responsible Business Week, Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, deputy director-general of the European Commission, speaks to Terry Slavin, editor of Ethical Corporation magazine

The coronavirus outbreak is a human tragedy affecting all corners of the globe. But out of tragedy, there is an opportunity to press the reset button on our environmental impacts.

In his video interview, below, with Ethical Corporation editor Terry Slavin, Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, deputy director-general of the European Commission, explains how the Commission intends to use the €750bn recovery package to accelerate action to meet Europe’s climate targets for 2030, which underpins its Green Deal growth strategy.

“What’s important is that we do not waste the money available under the recovery package to prop up obsolete technologies or businesses, only to phase them out later, even with new support.”

As part of its drive to decarbonise, Borchardt said renewable hydrogen was a technology that the Commission was specifically intending to back through recovery and Green Deal finance. See also Europe hitches zero-carbon star to hydrogen

"What we now rapidly need is [a] robust project pipeline, because we cannot wait. We need the most mature projects to be implemented now. The funding will be there. I think the projects are there, but we have to line them up in the different areas,” to make the best use of the money and time available.”

 

energy transition  climate change  European Green Deal  European Commission  pandemic  Covid-19  coronoavirus 

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