International Update Volume 44, Issue 3
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<p>The European Commission has proposed a plan to reduce carbon emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. The plan, which will be reviewed by the European Council in March, would also require the EU to generate 27% of its energy from renewables by 2030.

<p>U.K. oil and gas exploration company Cuadrilla has scrapped plans to use fracking technology near the village of Balcombe in Sussex. Last summer, Balcombe was the site of weeks of protests, as thousands of people voiced opposition to Cuadrilla’s presence and to an exploratory well the company drilled to see whether oil could be produced in the area. Last Thursday, Cuadrilla released a statement saying fracking would not be necessary as the rocks at the site are naturally fractured, but the announcement brought only limited relief.

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<p>In an effort to contain rising power bills, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet supported plans to tax owners of renewable energy plants for use of their own electricity. The proposal would require clean energy plants to pay 70% of the EEG-Umlage, a fee paid by power consumers that renewable energy producers are exempt from at present.

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