European

Targets

Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU (consisting of the 15 Member States before May 2004) has undertaken to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% below 1990 levels by the 2008 – 2012 commitment period. This target will be achieved through a burden sharing agreement whereby the bigger emitters and richer economies carry the heaviest burden and are required to achieve the greatest cuts.

The EU has provided global leadership in addressing issues of climate change. Global action is needed to avoid global average temperatures reaching 2 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial temperatures and to prevent irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes in the global climate.

The European Environment State and Outlook 2010 Report

The European Environment State and Outlook 2010 Synthesis report is the latest report on the state of Europe ’s environment, which is published by the European Environment Agency (EEA).   There are areas where Europe ’s environment has improved and areas where there are still challenges.   One of the key messages contained in the report is that the EU has reduced its greenhouse gas emission and is on track to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments. However, global and European cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are far from sufficient to keep average world temperature increases below 2°C. Adaptation measures to increase Europe ’s resilience to climate change must be implemented.   Greater international efforts are also needed to mitigate the effects of climate change.To download a full copy of the report, go to this link: www.eea.europa.eu

Beyond Kyoto

Following Kyoto , the EU set up the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) in June 2000 to advise on government policy and strategy measures for reducing greenhouse gases, in a consistent manner, across the Community. For further information visit the European Climate Change Programme website.

A recent EU Report (Greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe 2007) summarises that, based on past trends between 1990 and 2005, the EU-15 is not on track to meet its Kyoto target. However, projections for 2020 indicate that the target will only be met if Member states implement existing and additional measures fully and quickly, and make use of carbon sinks and Kyoto mechanisms.

New Goals

Following the agreement in Bali in December 2007, the EU released a report for consultation on the provisional targets for member states for the post Kyoto agreement. The new plan has committed the EU to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% compared to 1990 levels by 2020. However, the EU has stated a commitment to achive a 30% reduction in the same timeframe if other developed countries show similar commitment. 

A significant portion of these reductions will be targeted through renewable energies, as there is also a mandatory target of 20% renewable energy by 2020, with a 10% biofuels target. Legally binding targets for each member state can be found on the EU website.