EU Environment Ministers meeting today in Luxembourg shelved a Commission report [1] analysing the possibility of increasing the EU’s current 20% by 2020 emissions target. Friends of the Earth Europe believes that this jeopardises the EU’s chances of averting catastrophic man made climate change. The decision came on the same day as a UN climate conference concluded in Bonn without the EU or other industrialised countries making a clear commitment to an effective global agreement to tackle climate change.
The unilateral increase to 30% emissions reductions by 2020, discussed in the European Commission analysis, would have been a step towards domestic emission reductions of at least 40% that are both possible and necessary to give us a decent chance of keeping global warming below 2 degrees.[2]
The Commission report, due to be discussed by EU heads of state on June 17, has already been watered down by intensive industry lobbying in order to preserve windfall profits for national industries generated by free CO2 allocations under the Emissions Trading Scheme.[3] The Environment Council has recommended delaying the crucial decision of whether or not to step up the EU’s emission target until later this year in October.
Brook Riley, climate justice and energy campaigner with Friends of the Earth Europe said: “We’re seeing a dangerous loss of direction. Delaying the increase in emission reduction targets until October means playing a waiting game that nobody can win. Making a move to higher targets is the chance to start thinking about the benefits of green innovation rather than the dangers of change. This is a lost opportunity to move one step closer to the crucial 40% figure that will give us a better chance of keeping global warming below 2 degrees – the target that the EU itself has pledged to meet.”
The lack of progress during the international climate talks in Bonn over the past 2 weeks in the face of obstruction from industrialised countries means that there are few opportunities left to build momentum for the UN climate conference (COP16) in Cancun in December this year.
Susann Scherbarth, climate justice and energy campaigner with Friends of the Earth Europe said: “The EU has to recognise its historical responsibility for causing greenhouse gas emissions. It must contribute a binding international framework for tackling climate change, and agree to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, as well as increasing its pledge for emissions reductions to at least 40% without offsetting.”
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NOTES:
[1] ‘Unlocking Europe’s potential in clean innovation and growth: Analysis of options to move beyond 20%’. See: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/future_action_com.htm [2] Friends of the Earth Europe’s ‘40% study’: http://www.thebigask.eu/40percentstudy/the_40percent_study.pdf [3] Studying the results of the EU’s Emissions Trading System, Dutch Institute CE Delft estimates that the refining, iron and steel sectors generated roughly €14 billion between 2005 and 2008 by passing on the costs of CO2 allowances even though these companies received the majority of their credits for free.http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/does_the_energy_intensive_industry_obtain_windfall_profits_through_the_eu_ets/1038
