BELGIUM: The European Union's environment commissioner has called for action, writes Jamie Smyth
EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas has urged the US to follow Europe and commit to binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Speaking ahead of crucial climate change talks hosted by the UN in Bali next week, he said swift action was needed due to new "compelling and alarming" evidence of global warming.
"The only responsible reaction is to step up global efforts to limit emissions of greenhouse gases," said Mr Dimas, who urged the US - the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases - to sign up to binding rather than aspirational emissions reduction targets.
Mr Dimas made his comments at the publication of a new report detailing the progress that EU member states have made in meeting targets set under the existing global agreement to cut emissions, the Kyoto Protocol.
Greenhouse gas emissions trends and projections in Europe 2007 concludes that the EU15 (the 15 member states in the union when the Kyoto Protocol agreement was signed in 1997) is on track to achieve the 8 per cent reductions sought by 2012.
The report, which is based on projections provided by member states, estimates the EU15 can surpass the 8 per cent target and achieve an 11.4 per cent cut in emissions in 2010. Most of the 12 EU states that have joined the union since 1997 are also on track to meet their individual targets set in the Kyoto Protocol.
However, the statistics show this will only be possible if EU states, including the Republic, use flexible mechanisms to meet the Kyoto emissions targets.
These mechanisms allow member states that are not able to reduce their own CO2 emissions enough to meet the Kyoto targets to buy carbon credits from other EU states that have cut their emissions more than required. States can also invest in green energy projects in developing countries such as China and India to offset their own inability to curb emissions, and can create carbon sinks to soak up CO2 in the atmosphere.
"The latest projections show that the Kyoto target will be reached once the member states have adopted and implemented the additional actions now under discussion. I therefore urge them to do this swiftly," said Mr Dimas, who also urged the US to engage with the rest of the world and agree a new system to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
He said he hoped the US would follow the example set by the new Australian government elected last week, which has committed to signing up to the Kyoto Protocol. "It is not enough to have aspirational targets we need binding targets" to cut CO2, added Mr Dimas, who will lead the EU delegation to Bali.
The talks in Bali will focus on getting the US and developing countries, particularly China and India, to agree to sign up to a binding agreement to limit greenhouse gases. The EU has pledged to cut its CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 and to increase this to 30 per cent if other major emitters sign up to a global deal.
The US has still not committed to binding targets and developing states argue that emissions reductions would hurt their economies.