United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the resolution of the European Commission for hitting a new target to curtail the greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 from 1990 level.
In addition, UN General Secretary applauds European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard for their vision, leadership and commitment, which lead to this outstanding achievement.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “We are now going from a goal of 20 percent cut by 2020 compared to 1990 to 40 percent by 2030, so, doubling the effort. So, this is indeed a very ambitious, but also achievable target.”
A binding 40 percent CO2 reduction effort domestically in Europe is not an easy task. It can only be achieved through a major transformation in all parts of the society. “That is why the EU leaders’ decision to adopt the Commission’s proposal is an ambitious and important step forward,” said Connie Hedegaard, commissioner for Climate Action.
The main mechanism to achieve this target will be a well-functioning, reformed Emissions Trading System (ETS) with an instrument to stabilize the market as proposed by the Commission. The 40 percent target will be delivered collectively by the EU in the most cost-effective manner possible, with reductions in both the ETS and non-ETS sectors.
The 2030 framework aims to drive continued progress towards a low-carbon economy and a competitive and secure energy system that ensures affordable energy for all consumers. It also creates new opportunities for growth and jobs.
The decision validates that European Union is pioneering the global leadership on taking a courageous initiative to tackle climate change continuously.
Ban Ki-moon commends @EU_Commission decision to set new target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 http://t.co/OZ8uWtDFdN
— UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) October 24, 2014
At present, EU leaders have repositioned Europe in a prominent spot, chasing an emission target hopefully.
By adopting this target, EU has proved that global climate management is its own long-term interest. The decision will direct to tangible and significant contributions towards our collective effort to keep temperature rise to less than two degrees Celsius this century.
Besides, the resolution helps to fix a new standard for climate ambition for all countries in support of the upcoming global negotiations.
The Secretary-General appeals all countries to act rapidly and boldly on climate change and to make every effort to reach an ambitious climate agreement by the end of 2015.
Details of European Commission decision
The agreed targets include a cut in greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, an EU-wide binding target for renewable energy of at least 27 percent and an indicative energy efficiency target of at least 27 percent.
The agreed greenhouse gas target will be the EU’s contribution to the global climate change agreement due to be concluded in Paris next year. The renewables and energy efficiency targets will increase the security of the EU’s energy supplies and help reduce its dependency on imported fossil fuels.
As well as the greenhouse gas, two 27 percent targets were agreed – for renewable energy market share and increase in energy efficiency improvement. The former would be binding only on the EU as a whole. The latter would be optional, although it could be raised to 30 percent by a review in 2020.
A news report in The Guardian said UK Prime Minister David Cameron had hoped to cut the energy efficiency figure to 25 percent, but was prepared to accept 27 percent as long as it was not binding on Britain.
Portugal attained a non-binding objective that 15 percent of the bloc’s energy be transportable via cross-border connections by 2030, with an invitation to the European Commission to make concrete proposals for project financing from the EU budget.
Danish concerns were addressed with the introduction of a “cap and trade approach” to sectors previously considered outside the bloc’s carbon market such as agriculture, buildings and transport – which alone represents 31 percent of the bloc’s emissions.
Poland, heavily dependent on coal-fired energy production, threatened to block the deal unless the costs to its economy and industry were discounted by €15bn-€20bn (£12bn-£16bn) between 2020 and 2030, under a complicated system of concessions from the EU’s carbon trading system.
Concessions granted to Poland will allow it to continue reaping hundreds of millions of euros in free allowances to modernize coal-fired power plants. Of eight EU nations eligible for the free allocations, Poland claimed 60 percent of the total up until 2019.
Sabeena Wahid
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