EU targets 90% cut in emissions by 2040 as green groups cry foul

Tourists at Rome’s Colosseum attempt to take shelter from the sun this week as Europe sweltered under a heatwave. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

The EU should slash its planet-heating pollution by 90% by 2040, the European Commission has announced, in a proposed change to its climate law that falls short of what its scientists have advised.

The much-awaited target to cut emissions, which is measured against pollution levels from 1990, is a significant milestone on the EU’s path to decarbonise its economy by 2050.