Pressure to speed up climate change plans

Date: 05/10/00

By Renée Cordes

MEMBER states will next week insist that the European Commission must speed up work on fleshing out the Union's climate change strategy, calling for concrete measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport, energy and industrial sectors.

The call for EU-wide action comes just a month before the next round of international climate-change talks (COP6). It reflects mounting concern that the Commission is not pressing ahead fast enough with measures to fulfil the Union's pledge to cut emissions of six greenhouse gases to 8% of 1990 levels by 2012.

At a meeting next week, environment ministers will seek to undo some of the damage caused by splits in the EU's camp over emission 'credits' at preliminary talks last month by agreeing a united approach to the types of domestic measures required to combat climate change.

Pressure is mounting on the Union to demonstrate leadership in the international arena following its insistence that parties to the 1997 Kyoto accord meet the bulk of their targets through domestic measures rather than emissions trading and other 'flexible mechanisms'.

Transport is by far the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Ministers will therefore call on the Commission to propose measures to reduce pollution from most types of road transport and aircraft, and to divert passenger and freight traffic off the Union's clogged roads and onto its rail tracks. They will also urge the EU executive to do more to promote renewable energy and combined heat and power, and strengthen energy efficiency standards. Finally, they will stress the effectiveness of 'economic instruments' such as environmental taxes in reducing emissions.

Green campaigners have applauded member states' intention to push for action. "This is a good sign," said Giulio Volpi of the World Wide Fund for Nature. "Although we feel these policies and measures are still not ambitious enough, for the first time they point out specific measures to reduce emissions."

Member States are insisting that the European Commission must speed up work on fleshing out the Union's climate change strategy, calling for concrete measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport, energy and industrial sectors.