December 10, 2002
DO AS WE SAY, NOT AS WE DO:
EU struggling to meet climate-pact targets, agency warns (AFP, Dec 06, 2002)Under the Kyoto Protocol, the 15 EU members are required to cut combined emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and five other heat-trapping gases by eight percent overall in the years 2008-2012 as compared to their 1990 levels.But the projections run by the Copenhagen-based EU agency show that, on the basis of existing measures, the 15 are on track for a total cut of only 4.7 percent.
Most of that cut is attributable to Britain, Germany and Sweden, which have made far deeper reductions than they are honoured to make under a "burden-sharing" agreement whereby the EU members assigned individual targets among themselves.
They made the reductions because of the closure of inefficient, coal-burning plants and power stations in the former East Germany and the conversion in Britain of coal-fired power stations to gas, which releases far less CO2 for the same output.
"If these three countries merely met their burden-sharing targets instead of 'over-complying', the overall EU emissions decrease by 2010 would be minimal, at only 0.6 percent," the EAA said.
Just more arrogant European unilateralism... Posted by Orrin Judd at December 10, 2002 7:25 PM
Arrogant unilateralism or utter cynicism. This kind of total disregard for one's commitments has become typical European modus operandi. While the US don't sign treaties they can't comply with, the EU and its member states sign them anyway. It makes you feel good and it allows you to insult the Americans.
No wonder the EUnuch elites like Saddam so much. He has the same attitude.
Actually, this story has found a neat way of presenting the progress in the UK and Germany. The Kyoto benchmarks were set in 1997 based on 1990 carbon dioxide usage. The UK had done its natural gas conversion by the mid-90s; newly unified Germany had closed the east German plants by then. Their ability to come into compliance was not in suspense.
Now, on the one hand, it may not be fair to have asked even more of the UK, since they arguably had taken step in anticipation of this pact. Getting off of coal for lots of other reasons (expense, cleanliness, unions) probably were a factor as well.
But what, really, did Germany do?
My secret plan for EU compliance with Kyoto - expand the EU to include the Eastern European countries already being discussed, then announce that, as an integrated economic entity, Kyoto should be applied across the EU. Since the former E. Europeans are well in compliance (from the 1990 benchmark, for the same reason as E. Germany), this allows Western Europe to avoid actually doing anything.
Europe was oppopsed to the trading of emmissions credits, which would have allowed the E. Europeans to sell their "excess" to the highest bidder, presumably the US. This incorporation dodge will complete the package, and perhaps be part of an agricultural settlement.
All very sophisticated.