Pages above:
Send to a friend
Fill in the form below and click on the "send" button to e-mail a link to this content.
You can send to UP TO FIVE e-mail addresses by separating them with commas.
Climate change and the EU
Ultimate objective
The EU and all parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are bound by its ultimate objective: the 'stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.'Temperature
Greenpeace urges the international community to adopt the EU objective of limiting global mean warming to a peak increase of below 2°C above pre-industrial times. Warming should be reduced as fast as possible from this peak. It is worth noting that even a temperature rise below 2°C will result in significant impacts on sea levels, ecosystems and human health.
Concentration levels
We have to aim to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level below 400 parts per million (ppm) CO2-equivalent in the atmosphere, and then seek to bring them down as rapidly as possible if we are to have a reasonable chance of keeping global temperature rise below 2ºC.
Participation
From a moral, legal and practical perspective, the initial burden of emissions reductions has to fall on industrialised countries. This is reflected in the structure of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. In order to meet the 2°C target and maintain its global leadership, the EU must continue to reduce its own emissions and convince other developed nations to do the same for the second commitment period.
While special efforts must be concentrated on engaging Australia and the principal greenhouse gas emitter, the United States, the EU should not wait for these countries before setting its own targets for beyond 2012. Although there is a growing number of state-wide initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the US, these are unlikely to deliver meaningful progress before the end of the Bush II term in 2009. It is vital that US inaction is not permitted to block the rest of the world from moving forward.
Newly industrialised countries with a high income (e.g. Mexico, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia) should join the Kyoto system with binding targets. The EU and other developed countries should develop incentives for rapidly industrialising countries such as China, Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa to join the Kyoto emission trading system.
Technology options
Renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation are the cheapest, safest, fastest, surest and most environmentally and socially acceptable ways to achieve greenhouse emission reductions in the energy sector.
Priority should be given to real, new renewable energy sources, such as wind (onshore and offshore), solar photovoltaic, solar thermal (for water heating and power generation), "modern" biomass, geothermal, wave and tidal energy.
Simultaneously, priority should be given to energy efficiency and conservation measures. The promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency is urgently required so as to confront a changing climate while encouraging a shift to a truly sustainable energy future and taking advantage of the multiple environmental, economic and social benefits that clean energy sources and energy savings have to offer.
At the same time, it is essential that extremely potent "fluorinated" gases be replaced in all applications (refrigeration, air conditioning, foams, etc) by climate-friendly alternatives.
