CLIMATE: E.U. cuts industrial CO2 emissions quota 10% (10/29/2007)
The European Commission decided last week that European industry will have to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent more than governments had requested to put the European Union back on track to meeting Kyoto Protocol targets by 2012.
During the 2005-2007 trading period, industry received too many emission permits from the European Union, but analysts say the 10 percent cut should leave industry with a shortage of permits equal to 250 million metric tons of CO2 per year.
Many European Union countries, particularly Italy, Portugal and Spain, are far behind their Kyoto greenhouse gas emission goals.
The commission accepted proposals for the next carbon trading period from Britain, France, Slovenia and Denmark.
Other countries were told they must formulate new plans.
National governments asked for permits for 2.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, 12 percent more than the final quota of 2.1 billion metric tons.
At least seven member states -- the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia -- have said they will appeal the commission's ruling (Jeremy Smith, Reuters/Planet Ark, Oct. 29).
Enviro ministers agree new treaty needed by 2009
Environment ministers from about 40 nations agreed this week that negotiations on a new climate change treaty need to be completed by 2009, according to a U.N. official who attended their informal meeting in Indonesia.
"The meeting has indicated very clearly that negotiations need to be completed in 2009, and it will give enough time for ratification of the long-term agreement by governments and its entry into force before the Kyoto period ends in 2012," said Yvo de Boer, the head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat.
The meeting came before key negotiations in Bali in December to determine the details of a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol.
"There was strong agreement here that industrialized countries must continue to take the lead by reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases given their historic responsibility for the problem," de Boer said. "But at the same time there was also an agreement to have a broader engagement of developing countries on the issue as well" (Ahmad Pathoni, Reuters/Planet Ark, Oct. 26).
Britain may increase carbon emission cuts
The British government said today it would consider cutting carbon emissions by more than its previous proposal, a 60 percent reduction by 2050.
Environmentalists have urged the government to increase the cut to 80 percent by 2050.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said today the government will ask a new climate change committee to report by late 2009 on whether the cut should be increased.
The watchdog committee also will report on whether British climate targets should include international aviation and shipping (Sarah Marsh, Reuters, Oct. 29). -- KB
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