EU/KYOTO TARGETS: A runaway increase in transport emissions is being blamed by the European Environment Agency (EEA) for its latest pessimistic assess- ment that the EU will not meet its targets under the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. Ireland is among the worst offenders, the agency finds.
"The EU and many of its member-states will fail to meet their Kyoto targets for limiting greenhouse gas emissions on the basis of the domestic policies and measures imple- mented or planned so far," according to the EEA.
"The main reason is a runaway increase in emissions from transport, especially road transport." Total emissions from this sector - excluding air travel, which is not covered by Kyoto - are likely to be 34 per cent above 1990 levels in 2010.
Under the Kyoto protocol, the EU must cut its overall emissions of six greenhouse gases, widely considered to be contributing to global climate change, to 8 per cent below their 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
However latest projections show that initiatives already being implemented at European or national level will reduce the EU's total emissions in 2010 to only 0.5 per cent below 1990 levels, leaving it 7.5 per cent short of the Kyoto target.
The projections are much more pessimistic than last year's because Germany - producing around a quarter of total EU greenhouse gas emissions - is now forecasting a substantially smaller emissions reduction than previously.
On the basis of existing measures alone, most EU member-states including Germany would miss their Kyoto targets. Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Austria and Belgium "would all exceed theirs by more than 20 per cent", the EEA said.
According to the agency, the outlook is somewhat brighter when the additional measures being planned in 11 member- states, mainly in the energy sector, are brought into the picture. These are projected to bring emission cuts of about 6.7 per cent.
The EEA noted that seven of the 10 states joining the EU next year are on track to achieve their Kyoto targets.
