March 23rd, 1998
Brussels, Belgium - EU Environment Ministers have to go well beyond the
EU's Kyoto target for limiting greenhouse gas emissions or they risk
leaving the EU a spent force in the continuing international climate
negotiations, WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature urged today, just before
the EU Environment Council on 23 March 1998.
The EU's best chance of influencing international developments lies in
implementing steps to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by at least 15%
by 2010, rather than the 8% cuts agreed at the climate summit in Kyoto
last December. Two months prior to Kyoto, the Commission had identified
the measures to easily achieve a 15% reduction while being beneficial to
the economy.(1) According to the Commission, reductions in other
greenhouse gases could be delivered at even lower cost.
In WWF's view, a strategy of leading by example is the EU's only real
counter to the tougher and faster-moving United States' negotiators who
are aiming to exploit loopholes in the Kyoto agreement to avoid the US
having to reduce its emissions.
"The EU thinks it performed well in Kyoto but nothing could be further from
the truth. The EU went to Kyoto a lion and returned a lamb," said Andrew
Kerr, European Co-ordinator of WWF's Climate Change Campaign. "United
States negotiators overwhelmed the slow-moving Europeans on virtually
all issues."
"EU policymakers have to understand that the EU's main chance in
influencing the international climate talks lies in striving for more
ambitious emission cuts than other industrialised countries," continued Kerr. "As it
stands, the difference between the Kyoto commitments for the EU and
the US is too small to provide the EU with sufficient political leverage to
close damaging escape clauses in the Kyoto agreement. And it appears
to substantiate inaccurate US claims that the EU was being too
ambitious in its proposals all along."
At last December's Kyoto climate conference, the EU allocated itself a
target of reducing emissions of six greenhouse gases by 8% from 1990
levels over the period up to 2008-2012, while the US accepted a 7% cut.
WWF is concerned that implementing the Kyoto target could reverse
European efforts to combat climate change. If Member States meet their
existing commitments it would mean an overall cut in EU CO2 emissions of
around 7% by 2005. In contrast, the Kyoto target could mean only 4-8%
cuts in CO2 as late as 2012.
Contact:
Andrew Kerr, tel: +31 20 676 9058,
or
Martin Hiller,+32 2743 8806