EU: Agrees World Should Reduce Emissions 60-80%

The EU has agreed in principle that the developed world should reduce emissions of greenhouse gases 30% by 2020 and 60-80% by 2050, according to UK publication Nuclear Engineering.

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EU Back Historic Greenhouse Gas Reductions

According to the EU Observer,

EU environment ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (20 February) decided on new targets to curb global warming as a follow-up to the current international Kyoto Protocol in which industrialised countries have pledged to reduce their combined carbon emissions to below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

"All member states…have made it clear that an international objective of a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2020 is right and necessary in order to keep global warming below the 2 percent centigrade by the end of the century," said German environment minister Sigmar Gabriel who also confirmed the EU-wide commitment to at least cut 20 percent if this worldwide objective fails. "What we still need to agree to however is exactly the way in which we achieve the objectives through a fair system of burden sharing within the European Union," he added, calling the EU agreement an "historic decision."

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Fuel Tax on Airlines to Fight Climate Change?

The European Commission is considering a fuel tax on airlines to prevent emissions from skyrocketing. Unless something is done, aviation emission levels will rise 150% about 1990 levels by 2012. Read the story and watch the news report at EUX.TV.

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One word: PVC

(Okay, so it's actually two words, polyvinyl chloride.) According to an article in the trade publication Plastics 2456, the race is on to find a more environmentally-friendly, health-conscious alternative to PVC shrink wraps on food, which can contaminate the environment with dangerous chemicals. Many countries have launched regulations to ban or limit the use of PVC films. Europe has prohibited the use of PVC films in food packaging since 1992, and Japan, Singapore, Korea and Taiwan have followed suit.
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Europe to cut CO2 Emissions

The European Union is considering a stringent CO2 emissions trading plan to take effect 2008-2012 to combat global climate change. Read about it here.

Europe Confronts Sprawl

Urban sprawl – which is "when the rate of land-use conversion exceeds the rate of population growth" - is on the rise in Europe just as it is in the United States. If the trend continues, Europe's urban area will double in just over a century, warns the European Environment Agency. Europe is already one of the most urbanized continents. 75 percent of its population lives in urban areas.By 2020, that percentage will increase to 80 or even 90 percent in some member states. Read the full story here.

Future Trade Agreements linked to Climate?

The need to link climate change rules with global trade agreements has been highlighted at a meeting of academics and diplomats in Sydney.

The European Union is hosting a forum on strengthening international environmental governance. Read the full story here.