UN climate talks
EU must clearly commit to continue with Kyoto Protocol and resolve loopholes
EU environment ministers are meeting today to agree on the EU's position for this year's UN climate summit in Durban in December. The Greens believe the EU needs to make a clear commitment to continue with the Kyoto Protocol post-2012 in order to progress the talks towards a comprehensive binding global climate deal. The continued failure to strengthen the EU's emissions reduction target is also undermining the EU's credibility. Commenting on the environment council, Green MEP and EP draftsman on the EU emissions target Bas Eickhout said:
"The prospects of concluding a comprehensive international climate agreement are not bright and EU intransigence is not helping. The talks continue to be dominated by the fate of the Kyoto Protocol and, from an EU perspective, whether Europe will commit to this. A clearer commitment from the EU to continuing with Kyoto beyond 2012 could help to move the talks forward.
"Continuing the Kyoto Protocol must make environmental sense however, and this means resolving the loopholes that undermine the effectiveness of Kyoto at present: notably, surplus emissions permits or 'hot air' and creative rules for accounting for emissions from forestry. The EU must share some of the blame for the failure to clear up these loopholes before now and it should now prioritise this and work to ensure any continuation of Kyoto is environmentally sound.
"Meanwhile, another year has passed but the EU is sticking to its outdated and insufficient 20% by 2020 emissions reduction target. There is a multitude of reasons, both economic and environmental, for stepping up to a 30% reduction target. The continued failure to do so casts a shadow over the EU's climate credibility."
