Clean air triumphs over hot air
15 Jan 2000
A strange thing happened at the March meeting of the European Union environment council -agreement was reached. The meeting of the EU member states' environment ministers was expected to be deadlocked over setting a timetable for greenhouse gas emissions, but the Dutch presidency succeeded where all others have failed; the council has backed a proposal for a 15 per cent cut in emissions by 2010.
The 15 per cent reduction figure will act as the EU's negotiating position in talks under the United Nations' climate change convention in Kyoto this December. Despite the agreement, the member states were only prepared to commit themselves to national reductions that would achieve two-thirds of the target. Other compromises include dropping a proposed interim target of a 10 per cent cut by 2005.
The reduction target covers total emissions from the EU. Individual countries' targets are determined by a `burden sharing' approach - the more heavily-industrialised nations have to make bigger cuts, while the less industrialised countries can, in some cases, increase their emissions (although this is officially referred to as `limiting growth').
The agreement also takes in some changes in the way greenhouse gases are controlled. Previously, a `basket' of six gases were covered by the reduction guidelines. This has now been reduced to three, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride will be added to the controlled list by 2000.
