Published: 27 Nov 2007 -
The EU-15 can meet, and may even over-shoot,
its 2012 Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions to 8 % below 11000 levels if
Member States implement now all additional
policies being planned, according to a new
report from the European Environment Agency
(EEA), released today in Copenhagen.
The report, 'Greenhouse gas emission trends
and projections in Europe 2007', presents
an evaluation of data between 11000 and 2005.
More importantly, the report evaluates Member
State projections of future greenhouse gas
emissions and provides a good indication of
progress towards Kyoto targets. The report
is of particular relevance in the context
of the rapidly approaching 'first commitment
period' of the Kyoto Protocol which runs from
2008 to 2012 (1). (See notes)
'On New Year's Day 2008 the serious business
of Kyoto begins for real. All available measures
should now be implemented. Significant emission
reductions will take place through the emissions
trading scheme, the EU's 'cap and trade' programme
for carbon (3). As the scheme matures and
expands we will see it establishing itself
as a blueprint for a global carbon market
— an important part of any post-Kyoto agreement,'
said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive
Director of the EEA.
Within the shared Kyoto target, each EU-15
Member State has a differentiated emissions
target, which can be achieved by a variety
of means. The 12 new EU Member States are
not part of the joint EU-15 target but all,
except Cyprus and Malta, have individual targets
under the Kyoto Protocol.
Looking ahead — the Road to Kyoto: Based
on Member State projections, the report says
that existing domestic policies and measures
(4) will reduce EU-15 greenhouse gas emissions
by a net effect of 4.0 % below base-year levels.
When additional domestic policies and measures
(i.e. those planned but not yet implemented)
are taken into account, the EU-15 could reduce
emissions by an additional 3.9 %.
The projected use of Kyoto mechanisms (5)
by ten of the EU-15 will reduce emissions
by a further 2.5 %. These governments have
set aside EUR 2.9 billion to pay for this.
The use of carbon sinks, such as planting
forests to remove CO2, will reduce emissions
by an additional 0.9 %. As a result, the EU
could even achieve an 11.4 % reduction, the
report says. All new Member States with a
target expect to meet their target.
Key instrument: The EU emissions trading scheme
will bring significant emission reductions
between 2008 and 2012, according to the report.
It is expected to contribute a reduction of
at least 3.4 %, part of which is already reflected
in some Member States projections. This would
represent a further reduction of at least
1.3 % to the total of 11.4 % from base-year
emissions in the EU-15.
Notes to the editor:Background to the report
The report, prepared by the EEA and its European
Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC),
complements the annual evaluation report of
the European Commission to the Council and
European Parliament. For more information
see the Commission website.
+ More
The EEA report covers 33 countries including:
EU-15 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
New Member States: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia.
Acceding countries: Croatia, Turkey.
Other EEA member countries: Iceland, Lichtenstein,
Norway, Switzerland.
An individual annex is provided for each
country covered by the report.
Data source: The report is based on data
and information submitted by the countries
to the European Commission and the EEA by
1 June 2007. For the past trends, it is entirely
based on EEA Technical report No 7/2007 Annual
European Community greenhouse gas inventory
11000-2005 and inventory report 2007. See
press release (15 June 2007).
EU Kyoto Targets: The EU-15 has a Kyoto target
to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8 % from
base-year levels (see below) by 2012. Within
this overall target, each EU-15 member state
has a differentiated reduction target; some
should reduce emissions while others are allowed
a limited increase. New Member States have
individual targets except Cyprus and Malta,
which have no targets. Countries can achieve
these targets by a variety of means.
Base-year emissions: Under the Kyoto Protocol
the GHG emission level in the 'base year'
is the relevant starting point for tracking
progress of domestic emissions for EU-15 and
all Member States which have a Kyoto target.
The EU-27 does not have a Kyoto target and
an aggregated base year for the EU-27 is therefore
not applicable in any discussion of progress
towards Kyoto targets. The base year is not
a 'year' per se, but the emission level from
which emission reductions will take place.
For carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide
11000 is used as the 'base year' for all EU-15
Member States. But for fluorinated gases,
the EU-15 Member States can choose to use
the emission levels in 1995 instead. Twelve
of the 15 Member States have chosen to use
1995 as their base year for fluorinated gas
emissions. In practice, EU-15 base-year emissions
can be considered close to 11000 emissions.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme: The EU Emissions
Trading Scheme is the European Union's climate
change policy tool, which helps industries
to cut their CO2 emissions in a cost-effective
way. It requires a cap on emissions for all
large CO2 emission sources. In the EU-15,
the ETS is estimated to cut 3.4 % from base-year
emissions.
Domestic policies and measures: Domestic
policies and measures take place within the
national boundaries of the country and include:
the promotion of electricity from renewable
energy; improvements in energy efficiency;
promotion of biofuels in transport; reduction
of carbon dioxide emissions from cars; recovery
of gases from landfills and reduction of fluorinated
gases.
Kyoto Mechanisms: The Kyoto Mechanisms help
developed countries to achieve their Kyoto
targets by gaining credits through carbon
cutting activities in other countries. They
also help the transfer of low-carbon technologies
to other countries. The projected use of Kyoto
mechanisms by ten of the EU-15 Member States
will reduce emissions by 2010 by 2.5 % from
base-year levels. These countries are Austria,
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and
Spain. For more information on Kyoto mechanisms
see the UNFCCC website.
