Consider the following statements: Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Answer: (c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

The Act was approved; the EU target is 2050 and the aim is 40% home-made clean tech by 2030.

Statement by statement

1. ✓ CORRECT The European Parliament approved the Net-Zero Industry Act in April 2024.

2. ✗ WRONG The EU’s climate-neutrality target is 2050. The Act aims to make 40% of its clean-tech needs in Europe by 2030 — not all of it.

The idea

Most solar panels, batteries and other clean technology are made outside Europe, largely in China. The EU wants to make more of them at home. The Net-Zero Industry Act sets a benchmark for that.

European Green Deal (2019) → European Climate Law (2021): climate-neutral by 2050, emissions down 55% by 2030 → USA offers big clean-tech subsidies (2022) → Net-Zero Industry Act (2024) → Make 40% of the EU’s yearly clean-tech needs inside the EU by 2030

The trap

Statement II has two errors: the year (2040 → 2050) and “all” (→ 40%).

Elimination technique

Statement II says the EU will develop “all of its own clean technology”. Absolute words such as all, only and cannot usually mark the false statement in Environment PYQs.

Also know

A related EU tool is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a carbon charge on imports such as steel, aluminium, cement and fertiliser. It matters for Indian exporters. For comparison, India’s net-zero year is 2070 and China’s is 2060.