Call for Europe to do more on climate change
11 June 2010

On 17-18 June, European Heads of State will meet in Brussels.

An important agenda item will be to discuss a recent communication by the European Commission.

The communication examines the options of increasing the EU's emissions reduction target to 30% by 2020.

We see it as an opportunity to push Europe to move from a weak commitment of 20% to at least 40% emissions cuts by 2020.

It's also a chance to press home that this can be achieved without offsetting.

The best peer reviewed science is unanimous.

Aiming for a target of 25-40% emission cuts over the next ten years will only give us a 50% chance of keeping global temperature rises below 2 degrees.

Europe needs to aim for a target of at least 40% emissions cuts by 2020 to:

Avoid catastrophic climate change.
Meet its historic responsibility.

We need a low carbon economy

The EU is one of the most energy dependent regions of the world.

It currently imports:

Over 80% of its oil.
Close to 60% of its gas.
Approximately 97% of its uranium.

The price of this energy will continue to rise.

Challenging industry voices

Vested interests in the heavily polluting industries are trying to persuade decision-makers that moving to a higher emissions target would be a risk for employment and profits.

But no country or economic area has ever lost by innovating new solutions.

Switching to a green economy would create thousands of new jobs.

Trading emissions

Carbon markets are still considered the silver bullet to reduce carbon emissions.

Carbon markets are to reduce carbon emissions.

Carbon trading is the buying and selling of an artificial commodity - the right to emit carbon dioxide.

But it's fundamentally flawed. We urgently need alternative forms of action - such as targeted regulation and carbon and energy taxes.

Press for change

The EU and the 27 member states must move beyond short term financial concerns.

They must seriously consider the implications for people around the world of not taking effective action now.

Call for all Heads of State to do more, now.

Email Prime Minister Cameron

Dear Prime Minister,

I welcome the recent communication by the European Commission which examines the options of moving to 30% emissions cuts by 2020, but I am concerned that this is not enough. I call on you to: - Support a unilateral target of at least 40% greenhouse gas emission reductions across the EU. A recent study commissioned by Friends of the Earth Europe and produced by the Stockholm Environmental Institute shows that the EU can realistically achieve 40% domestic cuts by 2020. The result: a much higher chance of keeping global temperature rises safely below 2 degrees, and a greater fulfilment of the EU's historical responsibility as one of the major contributors to climate change. To be effective and accountable, emissions cuts must be backed up by annual reductions targets and tough compliance mechanisms. - Carbon markets are still considered the silver bullet to reduce carbon emissions. Yet tightening the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowance cap by 34% (as proposed by the Commission) will not address the fundamental flaws of carbon trading, such as free hand-outs of carbon permits, the use of offsetting and dangerous financial products similar to those which led to the financial crisis, and the complexity of the system and its vulnerability to abuse. Alternative forms of action, such as targeted regulation and carbon and energy taxes, are urgently needed in order to reduce emissions within the EU. - EU member states are currently allowed to meet over 50% of their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by financing projects in developing countries through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). However, in practice, funding projects in other countries does nothing to reduce European emissions, and the fact that many of these projects would have taken place anyway means that the scheme may not do anything to tackle global greenhouse gas emissions. Again, the EU and the member states must invest in domestic cuts - and create the necessary jobs to do so. I urge you to ignore the excessive influence of vested interests such as heavily polluting industry, and use the opportunity of the debate on the European Commission's "Beyond 20%" communication to support a higher target of at least 40% emission cuts across Europe by 2020, without offsetting.

You can contact me by email (preferably - to save resources) or at the following address:

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Call for Europe to do more on climate change11 June 2010

We need a low carbon economy

Challenging industry voices

Trading emissions

Press for change

Email Prime Minister Cameron

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Call for Europe to do more on climate change
11 June 2010