EU explores how to meet Kyoto target

Date: 18/03/1999

By Renée Cordes

THE EU appears to be on track to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2000.

Even before signing the 1997 Kyoto protocol, the Union had pledged to cut emissions of the gas which contributes most to global warming. At Kyoto, it undertook to reduce six different greenhouse gases by 8% by 2012 at the latest.

While some EU leaders may view that target as ambitious, the hardest part is yet to come. Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard, who has taken a proactive approach in pushing for international climate change commitments, had intended to come forward with a plan in the next few months aimed at ensuring that individual member states comply with Kyoto. "The EU has been a leader in the process at the United Nations level," says Liam Salter of the environmental lobby group Climate Network Europe. "It is important they maintain this leadership to push the rest of the world."

Before this week's events which shook the Commission to its core, Bjerregaard had planned to unveil far-reaching proposals by June to monitor whether member states were doing enough to reduce emissions. This would essentially outline the EU's negotiating position for the next international climate change conference in November.

The Kyoto protocol will become legally binding once ratified by the 55 countries responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions. A ten-year action plan for its implementation was agreed by more than 170 nations at a meeting in Buenos Aires last autumn. This establishes a deadline for agreeing details of the protocol so that the agreement will be fully operational from the moment it enters into force, probably sometime next year.

One of the toughest challenges for EU countries in the years ahead will be reducing emissions from aeroplanes, cars and heavy trucks, all of which emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. Between 1994 and 1995, while total emissions of CO2 fell, those from the Union's transport sector rose by 37%.

As part of their efforts to reverse this trend, European Commission officials are trying to negotiate an agreement with Japanese and Korean carmakers to reduce their CO2 emissions, similar to the voluntary accord struck with European manufacturers last year.

Bjerregaard said earlier this year that the Union was "making great strides" in cutting vehicle emissions, and expected to reduce total emissions from vehicles by 70% from 1990 to 2010 through measures including the ambitious 'Auto-Oil' programme.

As the Commission maps out its strategy for the next phase of its fight against climate change, member states are trying to thrash out a plan for trading in emissions 'credits' - one of the flexibility mechanisms allowed under Kyoto.

Bjerregaard has repeatedly argued that countries should meet the bulk of their targets by reducing their emissions at home and increasing energy efficiency, rather than by buying credits from countries which create lower levels of emissions.

" We should not buy from others what we ought to do ourselves," said a Commission official, who added that it was important for the Union to show the developing world that it was taking the problem seriously.