By Martin Banks - 3rd September 2009
One of the key issues is public awareness
Sarah Ludford
A leading commission official has admitted the EU has generally failed to inform the public of the seriousness of global warming.
Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Christopher Jones said one possible solution would be to "personalise" the impact rising temperatures will have on the lives of EU citizens.
Jones, the commission's director general for transport and energy, said, "I admit that we are really struggling to get the message across and this will be one of the biggest challenges facing the new commission when it takes up office later this year."
He was speaking at an event organised by Eufores, the Brussels-based European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources.
UK ALDE deputy Sarah Ludford said, "One of the key issues is public awareness and I would like to know what can be done to convey a sense of urgency to the public on the issue of climate change."
Jones responded by saying it was parliament's job, more than that of the commission, to convey the message about the effect of climate change.
But he added, "Clearly, between us we have to find a better way of doing it."
Jones said, "One thing that seems to really generate public concern is the issue of water shortage and the poverty and migration that results from it.
"Highlighting the link between this and global warming could be one way of raising public awareness of the whole issue."
EU ministers and heads of state will gather for a UN summit in Copenhagen in December in a bid to find a successor to the Kyotol protocol on climate change.
Many are expected to focus on renewable energy as the way forward, something Arthouros Zervos, president of the European Renewable Energy Council said he would welcome.
However, he warned, "We have to beware of talking of renewables as just one single technology when, in fact it is much more than that."
While renewables currently produces just 4.2 per cent of Europe's electricity, he said this is expected to rise substantially in the coming years.
Christian Kjaser, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association, predicts that it is in countries like Romania and Hungary where any trend towards wind energy could be most keenly felt.
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