EU Climate Deal What ‘the World Has Been Waiting For’
by Jennifer Berry
Published on December 12th, 2008
No Comments
Leaders of the European Union reached a decision in Brussels, Belgium, today on a climate change package. Encompassing the 27 member countries of the EU, the plan will cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020, compared with 1990 levels.
EU leaders have been discussing the so-called “20/20/20″ package to tackle climate change and concessions to limit its impact on struggling industries for quite some time. Not only will emissions be cut 20 percent, but renewable sources must fuel 20 of total energy use, while energy use is cut 20 percent simultaneously.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called the plans “the most ambitious proposals anywhere in the world.”
In an appeal to President-Elect Obama to follow Europe’s lead, he also added that “Europe has today passed its credibility test. We mean business when we talk about climate.”
‘EU’ Spells ‘Relief’
The deal was well-received at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said, “The European Union’s climate deal sends a clear message to the negotiations in Poznan and onwards to Copenhagen that difficult roadblocks can be overcome and resolved.
“This is a sign of developed countries’ resolve and courage that the world has been waiting for in Poznan! It shows the world that ambitious emission reduction goals by 2020 are in line with moving economic recovery in a green direction. This will contribute to propelling the world towards a strong, ambitious and ratifiable outcome in Copenhagen in 2009,” he said.
