The European Commission unveiled on Wednesday a package of
proposals that aims to deliver commitments of EU leaders to
fighting climate change and promoting renewable energy.
The European Union (EU) heads of state and government agreed in
March 2007 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent and
increase to 20 percent the share of renewable energy in the energy
consumption by 2020. They agreed that emissions reduction will be
increased to 30 percent by 2020 under the condition that a new
global climate change agreement is reached.
Wednesday's package proposes to expand the current Emission
Trading System (ETS) to more greenhouse gases and involve all major
industrial emitters. Currently only carbon dioxide is include.
The emission allowances put on the market will be reduced
year-on-year to allow for emissions covered by the ETS to be
reduced by 21 percent from 2005 levels in 2020, said the
commission, the executive body of the EU.
In sectors not covered by the ETS such as buildings, transport,
agriculture and waste, the EU will reduce emissions to 10 percent
below 2005 levels by 2020. For each member state the commission is
proposing a specific target by which it must reduce or, in the case
of new member states, may increase its emissions up to 2020.
On the use of renewable energy, the commission is proposing
individual, legally enforceable targets for each of the member
states. Today, the share of renewable energy in the EU's final
energy consumption is 8.5 percent, way below the target of 20
percent in 2020.
The package also addresses the minimum target of 10 percent of
biofuels in transport in the EU by 2020.
The package contains a proposal on carbon capture and storage,
which is intended to encourage EU industries to develop technology
which would allow them to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
and store it underground.
The commission has also adopted new guidelines on state aid for
projects aimed at combating climate change.
(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2008)
