EU is out to prove saving the planet doesn’t have to hurt growth

'The European Union is the only region in the world where emissions have started to decline'

Climate activists in a protest outside the Cop26 summit in Glasgow. It concluded with some thwarted ambitions toward international action on curbing emissions. Picture: Press Association

The European Union’s push to banish carbon from its economy is offering the world a real-time experiment on whether such a shift is achievable without hurting short-term prosperity.

As the COP-26 conference concludes with some thwarted ambitions toward international action on curbing emissions, the bloc is forging ahead with a strategy cementing its role as the foremost global pioneer in turning green rhetoric into reality.