Friends of the Earth Europe, and six other organisations, today made a symbolic handover of a pair of gloves to encourage German Chancellor Angela Merkel to keep working for more climate action in Europe.
The action outside Germany’s permanent representation to the EU office in Brussels was to support Merkel to take the lead in pushing for a 30% EU emission reduction target for 2020.
A higher emissions reduction target could create up to six million jobs, and reduce oil and gas imports which cost the EU €420 billion in 2011.
Esther Bollendorff, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe said, “European leaders are busy dealing with the Eurozone crisis, but the climate crisis is more urgent than ever and Europe must urgently reassert its commitment to combating climate change. So far Germany is among the countries which recognises that more action on climate change will bring long-term benefits like jobs and cheaper bills. But there is more to do to reach a 30% target for 2020, that’s why Chancellor Merkel must get to work on climate change.”
Recently the German government has attempted to engage other countries in discussion about increasing the EU target from 20% to 30% by 2020. But it has encountered opposition, mainly from Poland.
The objective of today’s action is to call on chancellor Merkel to keep on working until Europe increases its target to at least 30% cuts by 2020. This should happen before the end of the year.
Heads of State must urgently reassert their commitment to reducing Europe’s emissions by 80%-95% by 2050. They must agree to an increase of the EU’s climate target to 30% cuts by 2020, a step towards the 40% cuts actually needed by 2020 to offer a chance of controlling global warming.
Without a 30% target or more:
- there will not be enough incentives for climate friendly investments in Germany and Europe to boost job creation, technological innovation and reduce oil and gas imports,
- Germany risks missing its national reduction target of 40% by 2020, and will hamper the transition to renewable energy production,
- the EU ETS will not be strong enough to drive down emissions, and ETS revenues will be too low to finance climate action at home and in developing countries.
Today’s action was supported by Aprodev, Birdlife International, Climate Action Network Europe, Cidse, Friends of the Earth Europe, Oxfam and WWF.
