EU must take immediate action on Kyoto targets

[Menydh]

EU must take immediate action on Kyoto targets

European Environment Agendy
Press Release
October 23, 2006

All Member States must seriously tackle greenhouse gas emissions immediately, if the EU-15 is to meet its collective Kyoto target, a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report states.

The report, \'Greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe 2006\', presents an evaluation of historic data between 1990 and 2004. It also evaluates projections of European countries’ progress towards their 2010 greenhouse gas emissions targets.

“Levels of greenhouse gases would be much higher without current efforts to cut emissions. However, several countries within the EU-15 are not doing enough and could jeopardise the collective effort,” said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA.

The EU-15 has a Kyoto target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8 % on 1990 levels by 2012. Within this overall target, each EU-15 member state has a differentiated emissions target, which can be achieved by a variety of means.

Only by implementing all existing and planned domestic policy measures and using Kyoto mechanisms and carbon sinks, can emissions be brought down to 8.0 %, the EU-15 target, according to the report. However, this projection relies on figures from several Member States suggesting they will cut emissions by more than is required to meet their national targets and this cannot be assured, the report stresses.

Looking ahead to 2010, the report says that existing domestic policies and measures will reduce EU-15 greenhouse gas emissions by a net effect of 0.6 % from 1990 levels. When additional domestic policies and measures (i.e. those planned but not yet implemented) are taken into account, the EU-15 could reduce emissions by an additional 4.0 %.

The projected use of Kyoto mechanisms by ten of the EU-15 will reduce emissions by a further 2.6 % at a cost of EUR 2 830 million. The use of carbon sinks, such as planting forests to remove CO₂, would reduce emissions by an additional 0.8 %.

Between 1990 and 2004, EU-15 greenhouse gas emissions decreased from most sectors, the report says. However, emissions from the transport sector increased by nearly 26 % and are projected to increase to 35 % above 1990 levels by 2010, if countries use only existing policies. If additional policies are implemented, Member States project that transport emissions will, at best, stabilise at 2004 levels.

The ten new EU Member States are not part of the joint EU-15 target and all, except Cyprus and Malta, have individual targets under the Kyoto Protocol. They are all on track to meet their targets, but this is largely due to the collapse of economies in the 1990s and emissions are now rising again in these countries, the report says.

Also see:
The European Commission's new report, \'Progress towards achieving the Kyoto targets\'


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