Fit for 55? Europe needs science- and practice-based Sustainability Criteria
If the EU really wants to deliver on its Green Deal ambitions for climate and biodiversity, the new sustainability criteria in the Fit for 55 package need to be science- and practice-based, enabling a complementary and not competing range of renewables, including bioenergy.
![[Adobe Stock, Smileus]](https://www.svebio.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AdobeStock_336041947-800x450.jpeg)
The European Commission has promised a “shift from strategy to delivery” in 2021, including for the Green Deal ambition of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050.
In this vein, we have the upcoming Fit for 55 Package intended to help deliver on Europe’s strengthened commitment to reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Wide-ranging in scope, it encompasses renewables, energy efficiency first, energy performance of buildings, land use, energy taxation, effort sharing and emissions trading.
A climate-neutral Europe means a decarbonised energy system. Evolving towards such a system is also central to both the EU’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term prosperity.
More sustainably sourced renewable energy is going to be essential to this evolution in helping fight not only climate change but also biodiversity loss. It’s for this reason that the EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy prioritises solutions such as ocean energy, offshore wind, solar farms, and sustainable bioenergy.