Brussels, 13/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - Just as the urgent need to take action against climate change is on everybody's lips, the Greens/EFA MEPs at the European Parliament have proposed a stability pact for the climate and energy security in Europe, which they see as the only solution for effective action to convert all of the promises hanging in the air into concrete action, whilst averting the need to resort to nuclear energy.
The basis for their proposal, the "Scenario for a green energy and transport policy for Europe", carried out by the ÖkoInstitut of Freiburg, demonstrates that it is impossible to achieve ambitious objectives, such as a 30% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 and 40% by 2030, without expanding nuclear. How can this be done? Binding objectives for energy, the use of energy and transport, together with penalties for failure to respect these objectives, which would help to guarantee that all involved duly take up their role in the joint fight against global warming.
The study sponsored by the Greens/EFA group, which was presented to the press in Brussels on 7 November by Dr Felix Chr. Matthes, proposes action on all fronts: in the electricity and energy sectors, which contribute 40% of emissions (reinforcing the system of trading in emissions quotas, developing co-generation, combining the production of electricity with that of heat, extending the production of renewable energy, particularly by exploiting the enormous potential offered by the resources of the North Sea, increasing energy efficiency, using new clean technologies, particularly carbon sequestration technology, which will be available before 2020); in the transport sector (working to encourage people and goods off the road and onto rail, from private transport to public transport, greatly increasing the energy efficiency of cars and creating a clear framework to set the maximum level of car CO2 emissions at 80g/km, bringing in bio-fuels on a massive scale)- and, most importantly, the aviation sector, emissions from which are currently excluded from the Kyoto Protocol (including the sector in the European system of trading in emissions quotas; in the household sector, which represents 70% of all energy consumption: drastically reducing the level of consumption, particularly by dint of measures to increase the energy efficiency of buildings and of equipment and appliances which use electricity). "Under this scenario, we would also be reducing our dependency on imported fuels (oil, gas, coal and uranium), which threatens the EU energy security. The scenario shows that the future need not be dark, despite the background of last week's energy blackouts, if the EU makes the right policy choices", said Claude Turmes, a Green MEP from Luxembourg. He went on to add: "while it is now becoming 'convenient' for politicians to pay lip service to the fight against climate change, there are still major shortcomings when it comes to implementing effective policies. Last week's report by the European Environment Agency shows that the EU-15 is set to miss its Kyoto target. In our 'Pact for climate and energy security', the Greens have set out a concrete and binding framework for the EU to meet the challenges of climate change and at the same time address the problem of energy security in Europe".
The EU has committed to observe the objective of stabilising the overall temperature of the planet at 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Dr Matthes pointed out. The problem, he went on to explain, is translating this objective into action. He therefore stressed that "if we are to take the objective seriously, we need a reduction in emissions of 50% in 2050 and for industrialised countries, this reduction will have to be 60% or 90%. However, an analysis of the performances of the 25 Member States shows that we are still 5% behind 1990 levels. If this remains unchanged, then all that we will achieve is stabilisation in relation to the 1990 level. The status quo is not sustainable".
The study by the Freiburg Institute comes in response to the publication of the Stern report on risks of global economic crisis related to climate change and the cost of doing nothing. The timing of the report is impeccable, as it is published to coincide with the United Nations International conference on the climate, which will enter its ministerial segment in Nairobi on 15 November (EUROPE 9300).
"Nuclear is not the answer, because it is a dangerous option. It cannot be a global response to the global challenge of climate change", thundered Rebecca Harms (German Green). Delighted with the broad consensus on the Stern report, on the need to take measures against global warming, "for the environment, but also for the economy", she did not hide her satisfaction as she noted that "economists are starting to take up arguments developed long ago by the Greens and NGOs". (an)