15
Oct 2008 - Brussels, Belgium – WWF has launched
an appeal to the French Presidency of the
European Union and to all European governments
not to let the financial crisis undermine
the need to reach an agreement on a solid
package of measures to address climate change
before the end of the year.
At the European Council
meeting taking place in Brussels on 15-16
October 2008, and in relation to the “EU
climate and energy package”, the European
Council will discuss the controversial issue
of the potential impact of the EU’s Emissions
Trading Scheme on the competitiveness of
industries within the EU which use a lot
of energy. EU leaders will also discuss
the auctioning of pollution permits and
the use of significant revenues that will
be generated, as well as security of energy
supply.
“European countries
need to reaffirm the EU commitment to cut
greenhouse gases by 30% by 2020, without
any escape clauses. A strong European climate
package will make Europe more resilient
to future economic fluctuations, as it will
reduce reliance on foreign energy supplies,
create more sustainable jobs and lead other
countries to join forces to avoid dramatic
consequences of climate change,” says Delia
Villagrasa, Senior Advisor at WWF.
“The French Presidency
must stop using the financial crisis as
an excuse to weaken measures which will
only come into force from 2013”.
Last week the European
Parliament’s environment committee voted
to support the EU climate and energy package
proposed by the European Commission earlier
this year. But France, who currently holds
the Presidency of the EU, has since put
forward damaging proposals which would significantly
water down the package.
One particularly worrying
proposal would allow even more access to
emission reduction ‘offset’ credits in developing
countries projects (with no guarantee that
they are environmentally and socially robust).
Together with France,
the UK, Netherlands and Sweden are also
notably poor on this issue. Access to significant
volumes of project credits will reduce action
to cut climate pollution within the EU and
allow continued investment in high carbon
infrastructure, such as new coal-fired power
stations. It also sends the signal to developing
countries that rich nations are not willing
to go first in cutting emissions – a dangerous
position to take in the lead up to the December
UN climate change conference in Poznan.
The Presidency, supported
by Italy, Germany and Poland, also wants
the manufacturing sector to be exempted
from the polluter pays principle by receiving
pollution allowances for free as a sop to
those industries which claim that the EU
Emissions Trading Scheme could harm their
competitiveness on the global stage.
WWF denounces this as
an attempt to subsidise polluting companies.
Poland and Italy also
seek to exclude some power markets from
having to purchase all their pollution permits
arguing that in countries without a fully
liberalised power market, full auctioning
would push up the price of power. However,
this is very unlikely to be the case. Instead,
power companies may continue to reap massive
windfall profits from the pass through of
the value of free allowances to the price
of power.
Many Member States propose
not to earmark revenues from auctioning
of pollution permits in the EU Emissions
Trading Scheme for measures to tackle climate
change. By 2020 it is estimated that these
revenues could be worth around €50 billion
per year. This completely back tracks on
the position of the European Parliament
who called for all of the revenues to be
used to tackle climate change – with half
of the revenues going to developing countries.
WWF calls on President
Nicolas Sarkozy and all European leaders
to reflect the urgency and danger of climate
change in their decisions. All European
countries need to step up, deliver on their
promises and help poorer countries in fighting
global warming.
“It would be a big strategic
error to backslide because of the economic
downturn at such a critical moment. Everyone
should have learned from today’s financial
crisis that there are serious consequences
for lack of early regulation,” added Villagrasa.
Notes to the editors:
• A WWF report showed that polluting power
companies in just five European States could
reap windfall profits equivalent to more
than twice the GDP of Slovenia during the
second phase of the EU ETS.
• Contrary to some claims, electricity prices
will not be driven up by the full auctioning
of emissions allowances under the EU ETS,
according to a study carried out in the
Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Poland
by New Carbon Finance for WWF.
Delia Villagrasa, Senior
Advisor to WWF
Claudia Delpero, Communications Manager
at WWF European Policy Office
+ More
Italy and Poland fail
to scupper EU Climate Change Deal
16 Oct 2008 - Brussels,
16 October 2008 -- European leaders have
today pledged to press ahead with their
planned response to climate change, despite
attempts by some EU member states to scupper
the measures in order to protect polluting
industry, say Climate Action Network Europe,
Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace
and WWF.
During the EU summit,
Poland and Italy threatened to veto crucial
measures to curb CO2 emissions and reduce
European dependency on fossil fuels. But
at the end of two days of heated talks in
Brussels, EU leaders confirmed their commitment
to finalise the climate and energy package
before international climate negotiations
take place in December. However, last minute
changes weakening the final document have
been made.
Environmental groups
reiterated that the proposals must not be
weakened by countries seeking to protect
a small part of their industries and warned
that European citizens will hold EU leaders
to their promises when it's time to go to
the ballot box.
Reacting to the conclusions
Climate Action Network Europe, Friends of
the Earth Europe, Greenpeace and WWF said:
"EU leaders have resisted attempts
by countries who wanted to put short-term
interests of some polluting industries above
the long-term interests of the environment,
economy and people.
Frantic efforts to derail
EU climate action by Poland and Italy have
been ignored so far.
The French President
Sarkozy must stand up to countries like
Italy which has made no effort whatsoever
to comply with the Kyoto Protocol and implement
decent climate policies.
"Environment Ministers
meeting in Luxembourg on Monday must live
up to their responsibilities and deliver
a strong response to climate change."
Delia Villagrasa, Senior Advisor at WWF
