The European Union is following California’s lead and banning the sale of new combustion-engine cars. The ban goes into effect in 2035.
EU lawmakers reached the deal Thursday night. It was the first agreement the bloc has reached as part of the “Fit for 55” package, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% this decade. Transportation is the only sector in the EU where greenhouse gas emissions increased over the last three decades. Passenger cars account for most of that increase.
The EU parliament said funding should be directed toward smaller businesses that will be hit harder by a switch to all-electric vehicles. Lawmakers tout the deal as historic, but critics said waiting until 2035 to ban gas-powered cars will be too late to save the planet.
However, no one is arguing about the EU’s need to end its dependency on Russian oil and natural gas. Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline is creating an energy crisis throughout Europe.
Energy supplies could become scarce this winter. In the U.K., leaders have released a plan detailing nationwide rolling blackouts. The possible plan, which seems more likely by the day, calls for levels of blackouts. On the conservative side, energy officials said U.K. homes could go without power for three hours a day. On the drastic side, estimates said U.K. homes could go a full day without power.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
