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Eu slammed over climate agreement
24 March 2005
EU leaders were strongly criticised today after agreeing a "weak and ambiguous" short term target tackling climate change, and abandoning long-term targets altogether, despite support from environment ministers earlier this month.
EU heads of state and government agreed today in Brussels that developed nations should reduce cuts in greenhouse gases of 15-30 per cent (of 1990 levels) by 2010. But a long-term target for a 60-80 per cent cut was omitted from an agreed statement.
Friends of the Earth's climate campaigner, Bryony Worthington said:
"Today's agreement is deeply disappointing. The short term target is both weak and ambiguous. There is a world of difference between 15 per cent and 30 per cent. Only the higher target reflects what industrialised countries must achieve to prevent catastrophic climate change. And abandoning altogether a long term target for tackling climate change shows a complete lack of commitment that will send all the wrong signals to the rest of the world about the scale of the threat we face. The EU should set annual reductions in greenhouse gases, leading to a 30 per cent cut by 2020."
"Fighting global warming must remain a top priority for Europe if we are to avoid huge costs in terms of both the economy and human suffering. Firm action would also benefit innovation, employment and competition in a world that is slowly waking up to the enormous challenge we face and the increasing need to look for low-carbon and highly efficient technologies.
CONTACTS
Bryony Worthington, UK Climate Campaigner 020 7566 1672/07876 130 352
Catherine Pearce, International Climate Campaigner, 020 7566 1723/07811 283 641
NOTES
[1] EU Heads of State only partially followed the recommendations of their Environment Ministers who concluded on 10 March 2005 that industrialised countries should aim for greenhouse gas emission cuts in the range of 15-30% by 2020 and 60-80% by 2050. The Heads of State decided to delete the 2050 reference from the text and leave in only the 2020 target. The council conclusions are available at: http://ue.eu.int/cms3_applications/applications/newsroom/loadDocument.ASP?directory=fr/ec/&fileName=84331.pdf
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
