EU says US climate rule doesn’t go far enough

The European Union (EU) said Monday that the latest cuts on carbon pollution from power plants proposed by the Obama administration is not enough to mitigate climate change.

The EU said that the United States must do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if President Obama wants to keep talks heading into the Paris climate meeting on track.

{mosads}”All countries including the United States must do even more than what this reduction trajectory indicates,” EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said in a statement from her Brussels office, according to Bloomberg News.

On Monday, the administration unveiled new standards limiting the carbon emissions from existing power plants. The rules are expected to cut carbon pollution by 30 percent across U.S. power plants by 2030, and generate $90 billion in climate and health benefits.

Still, the administration is hoping that the new standards would help boost international initiatives to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts noted that global leaders would be playing close attention to the new carbon regulations, and that it would be a prime opportunity for the U.S. to lead on an issue that is a top piece of Obama’s second-term legacy.

Obama is scheduled to meet with leaders of the Group of Seven nations at a summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the new rules, and the administration’s energy policies.