By Martin Banks - 15th March 2010
The downturn has significantly reduced the costs of achieving emissions reductions
Sander de Bruyn
A new report claims the EU "could and should" adopt more ambitious CO2 reduction targets.
The report, published in parliament on Monday, said the EU's current 20 per cent target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 is "insufficient" and requires "little effort".
It goes on to claim that sticking with current targets could "undermine" the EU's flagship climate policies.
Speaking at a news conference, Green MEP Bas Eickhout said, "This report clearly shows that current EU targets are insufficient and not ambitious enough."
The Dutch deputy added, "In the recently-launched EU 2020 strategy, the commission talks about creating 'green' jobs and sustainable growth.
"But sticking with such unambitious targets will not stimulate growth or create jobs."
The report was compiled by the CE Delft Institute, an independent Dutch-based research group.
Its launch on Monday comes on the day EU environment ministers were due to meet to discuss the conditions under which the EU would be willing to increase its emissions-reduction target.
One of the report authors, Sander de Bruyn, told the news conference that, as a result of the downturn, "not only is it cheaper and easier to meet the 20 per cent target, but achieving the target would be not much more than a business as usual scenario".
"In fact, sticking with a 20 per cent target is undermining the EU's core climate policies," he said.
The report claims that higher emissions reduction targets – up to 40 per cent by 2020 (compared with 1990 levels) – "are not only possible but would benefit the EU economy".
De Bruyn added, "The EU target is unambitious compared with the emissions targets by other countries, notably Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most emerging nations.
"The downturn has significantly reduced the costs of achieving emissions reductions.
"Achieving an increased emissions reduction target of 30 per cent would now be much less costly than was suggested by estimates at the time the EU drafted its climate and energy package of legislation."
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