EU targets climate laggards

The EU is pressurising the US and Australia to adopt binding green-house gas emission reduction targets.

A report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Friday (4 May) concluded that greenhouse gas emissions could be stabilised using existing technologies, but that existing policies do not go far enough.

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said that the findings were in line with the measures supported by EU governments at a March summit meeting.

"[The IPCC] conclusions fully support the EU’s view that developed countries must reduce emissions to 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 and global emissions must be halved by 2050," Dimas said. "It is now time for the rest of the international comm-unity to follow our lead and commit to ambitious reduction targets."

The latest report, on climate change mitigation options, was the third in a trilogy from the IPCC, due to be followed by a summary report this November.

It said that measures including carbon trading, taxation and promoting standards for energy-efficient technology had all proved they could reduce emissions in a number of national cases and could be adopted by international governments. Renewable energy sources will also become increasingly important as technology improves.

To keep global temperatures at no more than 2.8?C above pre-industrial levels, says the UN report, the cost will be about 3% of global income in 2030 and 5.5% of income in 2050. Emissions today are about 0.8?C above pre-industrial levels.

The EU is pressurising the US and Australia to adopt binding green-house gas emission reduction targets.