Pioneering sustainable technology centred on humans must be key to the EU’s energy strategy, argues Robert Ackrill, Professor at Nottingham Business SchoolStaying on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050 means the European Union (EU) must continue investing in renewables as a key priority of its energy strategy. Indeed, the Energy Union Task Force originated from the development of the Action Plan for Affordable Energy, laying the groundwork for an energy strategy that examines both the costs of renewable energy sources and consumer demand. Policies must integrate steps to upgrade infrastructure beyond the necessities for green energy generation by making buildings, from business-owned properties to residential housing, more energy-efficient. Decarbonisation, therefore, needs to accompany the diversification of the types of renewable energy consumed and the countries from which energy is imported. This means the EU must carefully consider its economic relationship with China as it seeks to implement its energy strategy.