EU climate summit: emission targets 'woefully inadequate' - Green MEP
09 March 2007
"If we in the industrialised world are to achieve global CO2 cuts of 80-90per cent over the next few decades - as we must if we are to stave of theworst impacts of climate change - we need higher targets and fastertimetables," she said.
"By recommending a 30% cut as a multilateral target, EU leaders haveacknowledged that this is the minimum target that is really needed to avoidcatastrophic climate change - and yet is only prepared to set a 20% targetitself. This sends out a dangerous message to the rest of the world thatthe EU knows what's needed to tackle climate change - but it is not preparedto do it.
" The science is clear. Climate change threatens us with a humanitarian andeconomic disaster on a massive scale - and preventing it is nothing lessthan a major security issue. Imagine if we were talking about a strategy todeal with, for example, international terrorism rather than climate change.It would simply be unimaginable that EU leaders would adopt a strategy todeal with just a small number of terrorists - but leave the rest free toundermine our security."
The Green Party MEP, who represents South-East England and is a member ofthe EU's influential Environment Committee, made her comments after EUleaders meeting in Brussels agreed to adopt binding targets to cut CO2emissions across the union by 20 per cent (measured against 1990 figures) -and to set a binding target for producing 20 per cent of the EU's energyfrom renewable sources in the same period.
"The EU has promised to demonstrate global leadership on climate change -but these Summit conclusions show that it is still not prepared to go asfar as necessary."
