18 European organizations have issued a call to action urging the European Commission and Member States to prioritize the decarbonization of heating and cooling in the upcoming legislative mandate.
“To achieve the 2040 target, we must stimulate renewable energy sources and defossilize our energy system. The EU must have a strong strategy to phase out fossil fuels. Defossilising the heating sector, which represents almost half of the EU's energy consumption, is crucial for achieving the energy transition. Today, sustainable bioenergy is the main source of renewable energy in Europe, especially for heating (55,7% of all renewable energy sources and 83,6% of all renewable heating),” said Jean-Marc Jossart, Secretary General of Bioenergy Europe.
The 2040 Communication, published on 6 February 2024, rightly identified the significant CO2 reduction potential of the construction and industrial sectors, which represent 42% and 25,6% respectively of the EU's final energy consumption and remain highly dependent on use of fossil fuels. However, the undersigned organizations regretted the blatant omission of the demand for heating and cooling, which represents 80% of buildings' energy consumption and 60% of the industry's total energy needs.
The coalition of industry associations and NGOs calls for immediate action to phase out fossil fuels in heating and cooling, accelerate building renovation and tap the EU's huge potential in renewable and recovered heat sources.
This call to action builds on the momentum of May 2023, when eleven energy organizations presented a dedicated heating and cooling decarbonization plan to the European Commission.
Source: bioenergyeurope.org
