By Martin Banks - 20th October 2008
If the EU wants to be seen as leader at UN talks in Copenhagen next year, and to help secure a strong global deal to tackle climate change after 2012, then it must stop shirking its responsibilities and commit to real emissions cuts within Europe
Dr Tina Tin, author of the new WWF report on climate change, released on Monday
The WWF has called on the EU to cut its emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 after releasing a sobering report that predicts climate change is accelerating faster than previously thought.
Ahead of an environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, the author of the report, Tina Tin, said, “If the EU wants to be seen as a leader at UN talks in Copenhagen next year, and to help secure a strong global deal to tackle climate change after 2012, then it must stop shirking its responsibilities and commit to real emissions cuts within Europe.”
The EU has committed to reducing its overall emissions to at least 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, with the possibility of raising that target to 30 per cent if other industrialised nations make similar pledges. EU leaders are anxious to reach final agreement on the EU’s climate-energy package by the end of the year.
The WWF paper, ‘Climate change: faster, stronger, sooner’, says that climate change is increasing faster than predicted by the world-renowned intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) in a 2007 assessment report.
The WWF says the first “tipping point” may have already been reached in the Arctic, where sea ice is disappearing up to 30 years ahead of IPCC predictions and warns that summer sea ice may be gone completely within thirty-five years.
Cyclones over Britain and the North Sea are also set to increase, leading to increased wind speeds and storm losses over western and central Europe. Annual rainfall will also shoot up in Europe, leading to greater flood risks and associated problems.
The North and Baltic Seas are experiencing the warmest temperatures since records began, while the Mediterranean will be subject to increased drought, the report goes on.
UK Tory MEP John Bowis commented, “The EU’s ability to make a positive contribution to the climate change battle is being tested, and British ministers must make it clear they expect their European counterparts to honour their commitments.
“The climate change package presents businesses with incentives to go green, create new jobs in innovative industries and develop new technologies,” said Bowis, his party’s environment spokesman in parliament.
“The long-term impact of doing nothing would be devastating, and ministers must not resort to short-termism,” he added.
At their meeting on Monday, EU ministers are expected to prepare their position for a UN convention on climate change taking place in the Polish city of Poznan from 1 to 12 December.
Bowis added, “The EU must be able to lead by example at the Poznan conference in December. As soon as we start to show signs of cold feet, the rest of the world will backtrack on its commitments.”
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