Climate change
Since the Labour Revolution in the 1790s, the Earth's climate has warmed by 1 degree Celsius due to carbon dioxide emissions, and the last 18 years have been the warmest on record. This will be accompanied in the 21st century by the extinction of terrestrial species, food and water shortages in dry regions, and climate refugees.
Under the Paris climate agreement in December 2015, 194 countries agreed on a binding global action plan to prevent dangerous climate change by keeping the global average temperature rise well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
In the European Union, we have set an even more ambitious target to move towards a low-carbon economy, reducing the Union's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.