EU climate change deal branded a 'failure'

Published on Friday 12 December 2008 15:06

Environmental groups have condemned a climate change and energy deal agreed by EU leaders today as a "failure".

A coalition of green groups and aid agencies described the deal struck in Brussels as a "dark day for European climate policy" in which governments had reneged on promises and turned their back on international efforts to tackle global warming.

The agreement commits EU governments to the so-called "Triple-20" challenge – cutting CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020, as well as getting at least 20% of energy requirements from renewable sources, and achieving an overall 20% cut in energy use, also by 2020.

The package also covers requirements for carbon trading and developing the technology to trap and store CO2 from power plants, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS).

But climate campaigners said the agreement allowed around two thirds of the emissions reductions to be "offset" by paying for projects outside Europe rather than making cuts at home.

In addition, the manufacturing sector has largely been exempted from the requirement to buy the permits it needs to cover its carbon emissions, while the power sector has also won concessions over having to pay for its carbon allowances.

The concessions were won following concerns by coal-dependent poorer countries such as Poland and heavily-industrialised Germany that the proposals to make companies pay for their permits would hit industry and be too costly.

A previous pledge to increase the level of Europe-wide reductions to 30% if a new international treaty on cutting emissions is agreed next year in Copenhagen had been reduced to a "weak and ambiguous" commitment, the environmentalists said.

The green lobby warned the failure to secure an ambitious deal could damage international attempts to tackle climate change.

WWF, Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace, Oxfam and Climate Action Network Europe called on the European Parliament to show support for stronger emissions cuts when it votes on part of the package next week.

Friends of the Earth UK's climate campaigner Robin Webster said: "This could have been one of European Union's finest moments, but once again short-sighted national self-interest has been put ahead of the long-term safety of the planet."

Friends of the Earth said cuts of 40% by 2020 were needed by industrialised countries in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

And Robin Oakley, Greenpeace UK climate campaigner, said: "If Europe's leaders can't even bring themselves to rule out new coal plants and accept the emissions targets the science is demanding, you have to say they shouldn't have bothered going to Brussels.

"We can't beat climate change with weak targets and new coal, whatever Brown and Merkel and the rest of them may choose to believe."

Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF-UK, said: "EU politicians may be hoping to trumpet today's deal on climate change as a great success, but in reality this is a significant failure.

"Europe has essentially decided to off-set almost two thirds of its own greenhouse gas emissions, to have consumers pay for emissions permits that polluting companies will have received for free and to avoid supporting poorer countries in the fight to tackle climate change."

Oxfam's Elise Ford said the climate and energy package had originally been a strong set of laws proposed by the commission but today's deal "delivers far too little".

"Millions of poor people have been left in danger because EU leaders bowed to business lobby pressure and faltered at an historic moment.

"Europe's package looks too much like business-as-usual tied up in a green ribbon."

Christian Aid said the package of measures exploded Europe's claim to be international leaders on tackling climate change.

The charity described the deal as "woefully inadequate" and warned it would seriously damage the EU's credibility with incoming US president Barack Obama, who has pledged his support for international efforts to cut emissions.