Luxembourg’s energy transformation faces an uphill battle

The European Union has set ambitious targets to keep carbon dioxide emissions in the EU27 low. According to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord – adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris on December 12, 2015 and entered into force on November 4, 2016 – signatory parties need to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, ideally to 1.5 degrees, compared to pre-industrial levels. For Europe, this means considerable challenges, not least because not all member states are on equivalent levels of environment-friendly development. While industry-heavy members such as France and Germany can afford the significant investment, Central and Eastern European countries still heavily rely on coal power and fail to diversify their energy mix either out of a lack of will or resources.