Immediate uptick in investment needed to reach net zero

A new study by researchers reveals that if Europe fails to immediately invest 302 billion euros in climate-relevant infrastructure, it will not reach its target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Both the European Union and Switzerland have set themselves the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050 and of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. To achieve this target, major investments in power generation from renewable energies, electricity grids, storage capacities and other climate-relevant infrastructure are required. However, it has been unclear until now just how much investment will be necessary over the next 15 years and which areas are the most important. This gap in knowledge has now been filled by a meta-study conducted by ETH professor Bjarne Steffen and Lena Klaaßen, which was recently published in Nature Climate Change . The authors conclude that reaching the net-zero target will be jeopardised if an annual 302 billion euros fail to flow into climate-relevant infrastructure in Europe over the next two years. A third more investment needed.