Towards a Sustainable Blue Economy in EU and Beyond

Abstract

Climate change and environmental degradation are the biggest complex and interlinked challenges of our times. With the Paris Agreement on climate change in force in 2015, the transition to a modern and low-carbon economy has to be accelerated. According to scientists, without urgent action, the global temperature could hit a 2°C increase soon after 2060, turning the earth into a “hothouse”. The European Green Deal set the blueprint for transformational change. It is an integral part of European Commission’s strategy to implement the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals. Under the European Climate Law, EU countries must cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). Their goal is to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent on the planet by 2050.