GREENPEACE: Emperor Berlusconi fiddles as the climate burns

Greenpeace is protesting the Berlusconi government’s decision to side with German carmakers in watering down the EU’s first ever CO2 standard for cars. The Italian government is threatening to block the whole Energy and Climate Package unless the legislation is emptied of its content. The EU Council is discussing the proposal for a Regulation with the European Parliament, to be voted on 17 December.[2]

European carmakers, led by Germany’s ‘big three’, have been lobbying their governments to make the standards meaningless.[3] If current proposals for compromise are adopted, they would be allowed to increase their emissions to more than 160 g/km by 2012, while remaining inside the rules. In 2015, average emissions could still be as high as 139 g/km, just a 2% reduction compared to current trends. [4]

The Berlusconi Government, with support from car countries Germany, France and the UK, is now proposing to weaken this even further by cutting penalties for non-compliance to meaningless levels. For cars exceeding the CO2 limits by 3 grams per kilometre, a mere EUR 30 would have to be paid.  

“Berlusconi is looking for legislation that just fiddles while the climate burns. European leaders must reject the status quo and deliver real emissions cuts,” said Andrea Lepore, Greenpeace Italy climate and transport campaigner.

On the initiative of Fiat’s Sergio Marcchionne, carmakers are also asking the European Union for financial support to build cleaner cars, while continuing to produce inefficient and polluting vehicles.

“The Italian government’s position is unacceptable”, continued Lepore. “If its requests are accepted, European regulation will be absolutely ineffective and no emissions cuts will be delivered. Italy must aim to improve fuel efficiency. Italy should show how its record of producing small cars can be a competitive advantage in the production of lower-emissions vehicles”, concluded Lepore.

With the Poznan international climate summit taking place in Poland from 1 December, the EU is days away from sealing a deal on its own response to climate change with a series of laws known as the ‘climate package.’ Europe’s position will have a massive bearing on the global ambition going into next year’s final climate meeting in Copenhagen to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

To have any chance of keeping global warming below 2°C and avoiding the worst effects of climate change, the EU must commit to reduce emissions domestically by at least 30% by 2020. European leaders meeting in Brussels on 11 December must also boost renewable energies, reduce our reliance on coal and other fossil fuels, and resist strong pressure from certain governments and energy-intensive industries to dodge their responsibilities.