For several years the European Union (EU) has been working to tackle climate change both internally and internationally through the creation of European climate change actions/policy.
Indeed, the EU has been taking action to curb greenhouse gas emissions in all its areas of activity in a bid to achieve the following objectives: consuming less-polluting energy more efficiently, creating cleaner and more balanced transport options, making companies more environmentally responsible without compromising their competitiveness, ensuring environmentally friendly land-use planning and agriculture and creating conditions conducive to research and innovation.
Following on from work under the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP), the European Union came up with a realistic long-term policy framework,
Green Paper, 2007 to create a climate change strategy, advocating practical action to prevent temperatures from increasing to more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. This communication followed up on the 2005 communication, which laid the basis for a future climate change strategy. The measures proposed in the 2007 strategy were closely linked to the "Energy Package" published by the Commission in January 2007, which defined a new European energy policy and sets out clear, quantified targets.
The Commission suggested that the EU should adopt targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It called for the EU to set the target in international negotiations of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries by 30% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2020. It stated that until an international agreement is made, and without prejudice to the position it will take in these negotiations, the EU should immediately make the resolute and independent commitment to reduce its own emissions by at least 20% by 2020. At the March 2007 European Council, Member States also strongly backed these targets. In line with the strategic analysis of the EU's energy policy, the Commission recommends taking the following measures on energy:
- Improving the EU's energy efficiency by 20% by 2020;
- Increasing the share of renewable energy to 20% by 2020;
- Developing an environmentally safe carbon capture and geological storage policy.
The Commission believed that the
European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) needed to be strengthened by taking measures such as the following:
- Increasing the duration of quota allocations to over five years, as it is now;
- Extending the scheme to other gases and sectors;
- Aligning allocation procedures across Member States and
- Linking the EU ETS to compatible mandatory schemes in other States (such as California and Australia).
In order to limit emissions in the transport sector, the Commission asks the Council and Parliament to adopt, where necessary, proposals to include aviation in the EU ETS and to link taxes on tourism vehicles to their CO2 emissions. There are also plans to reduce CO2 emissions from cars to reach the target of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer (g CO2/km). The Commission also stresses the need for consumers to do more, to cut the emissions produced by freight transport by road and maritime transport and to address biofuels .
Following on from the
2007 Green Paper in 2009 the EU delivered a
Climate Change White Paper to set out a framework to manage the impact of climate change across Europe. The flexible framework was designed to be responsive to accommodate new data as well as to complement existing action by Member States and other international efforts. This central EU coordination is especially important when the impact of climate change crosses across country boundaries, as well as sectors such as agriculture, water and energy which are closely integrated at the EU Level through common policies.
The EU framework takes a phased approach to implementation. Phase 1 (2009-2012) will prepare the foundations for a comprehensive EU adaption strategy to be delivered during phase 2, which commences in 2013.
Phase 1 will focus on four pillars of action:
- Building a solid knowledge base on the impact and consequences of climate change
- Integrating adaptation into EU key policy areas
- Employing a combination of policy instruments (market-based instruments, guidelines, public-private partnerships) to ensure effective delivery of adaptation
- Stepping up international cooperation on adaptation.
To support cooperation on adaptation and with a view to taking this framework forward, the Commission intends to set up an Impact and Adaptation Steering Group (IASG). This group will be composed of representatives from the EU Member States involved in the formulation of national and regional adaptation programmes and will consult with representatives from civil society and the scientific community.
More importantly integration of the framework needs to be integrated into EU policies. Adaptation will be a long and continuous process. It will operate at all levels and require close coordination with stakeholders. The EU will support international and national adaptation efforts ensuring that there are adequate resources for efficient and cost-effective adaptation action to provide a sustainable and sound economic basis for future generations. The Commission will regularly review progress in implementing the first phase of the framework for action identified in the 2009 White Paper with a view to developing a comprehensive adaptation strategy from 2013.
Future Policy Choices for the EU
The European Union has recently given the final approval to its ambitious climate change and energy policies, agreed by EU ministers back in December 2008. The new measures will incentivise low carbon technology, dramatically boost clean green energy, and provide billions in funding for vital carbon capture and storage plants. Key features of the package include:
- Use of 300 million EU ETS allowances, worth billions of pounds, to part-fund up to 12 Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration plants.
- Commitment to a 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, rising to 30% if a global deal is reached.
- European wide commitment to 20% of all energy to come from renewable sources by 2020 – with a UK target to source 15% of all energy by 2020.
Snapshot of current EU climate and energy related proposal
All of the above elements will be discussed in more detail in December 2009 when Denmark hosts a major UN conference on climate change. The gathering presents an opportunity to agree a new global agreement to come into effect when the
Kyoto Protocol (current agreement governing climate change) ends in 2012.
For more information on Climate Change visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/home_en.htm
