Guarded response for EU climate package

The European Union countries’ agreement, reached last week on a set of medium term greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and energy targets for the region has gone farther than what they have achieved or promised on the climate change front in the past.

The decision to cut GHG emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and to increase the share of renewable sources by 27 per cent look impressive in the background of the poor performance in the past. The targets are with reference to the 1990 levels. GHG emission reductions are only one part of the deal. It is a package which includes the renewable energy target and an indicative target of improving energy efficiency by 27 per cent. The EU expects all members to achieve the target, though some like Poland, which depend much on coal-based energy, have reservations.

  The EU is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases and so has an important role in the climate change negotiations. The deal is considered to be its contribution to and bargaining point at the next year’s climate change summit to be held in Paris. The Paris summit is important because it has to find a worldwide agreement after the lapsing of the Kyoto Protocol. But the EU commitment is considered to be low by many environmentalists, especially because the EU had itself accepted that it was necessary to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

 This target will not be achieved by a 40 per cent reduction by 2030.  Moreover, the GHG reduction plans in Europe depend much on the proper functioning of an emissions trading system. It is not in good shape and needs to be reformed to reduce reductions and to incentivise development and use of clean technologies. The targets for the share of renewable energy and efficiency improvement have also been scaled down in the plan. There are also doubts whether all individual countries in the 28-nation bloc will actually work for the implementation of the package. 

In any case, the worth of the EU deal will depend on what the US and China, the biggest and the second biggest GHG emitters, will offer by way of reductions next year. The US position has always been tough and China may want to co-ordinate its stand with those of other countries like India.

Other issues like financial aid for poor and developing countries for adoption of efficient technologies will also be factors in a global climate deal. On most of these issues, the attitudes of the rich countries have not been helpful. Therefore, the EU package has elicited only a guarded note of hope from around the world.