Ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions from European industries from 2021 have been approved today by MEPs.
The proposals will overhaul the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the EU's main policy tackling climate change, and have been steered through the European Parliament by Conservative MEP Ian Duncan.
The ETS imposes a cap on carbon emissions from 11,000 power stations and industrial plants in 31 countries and operates a market under which companies must buy allowances to emit carbon. The new measures will progressively reduce the number of allowances available in an attempt to push up their cost and so provide a greater incentive for industries to adopt cleaner technologies.
In addition, the top ten per cent best performing factories and other installations will receive all their allowances free and a fund of up to 12 billion Euros be created to help industry innovate and invest in technology.
Mr Duncan said: "It has taken a major effort to reach this point and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved and who recognised the importance of this issue. It is about stopping the rise in the temperature of the globe. As simple as that."
The report will now enter so-called trilogue negotiations between the Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council, which represents Member States.
Mr Duncan added: "I know the Council is not yet ready to embrace this. But it will, because it has to.
"By passing this report we will be reminding Member States of the commitment they signed up to. We simply must deliver the ambitions of the Paris Agreement on climate change and do what is required for our planet.
"This is bigger than Brexit, bigger than Britain, bigger than the EU. We have to get it right."