| Author (Person) | Egenhofer, Christian, van Schaik, Louise |
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| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.11, No.42, 24.11.05 |
| Publication Date | 24/11/2005 |
| Content Type | News |
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Date: 24/11/05 When the European Council discussed climate change in March this year, yet another opportunity was wasted to develop a long-term comprehensive strategy, as the European Commission called for in its paper Winning the battle against climate change. Instead, the EU's government leaders focused mainly on targets, eschewing the broader economic implications of climate change policy. Predictably, environmental groups hailed the political leaders for their courage to set a medium-term target and criticised their failure in setting a long-term target, while businesses warned against potential costs. Sadly, few made the connection between climate change policy and innovation. Climate change policy could become a major source of innovation and technological development. Economic implications Assuming the risk of climate change is real - a large majority of researchers and the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) think so - the economic implications will be considerable. For example, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a pro-environmental business group, reckons that we will need to reduce global CO2 emissions by some 22 billion tonnes per year by 2050, compared with a business as usual scenario, in order to stay below a CO2 concentration of 550 parts per million (corresponds with an expected increase of temperature of approximately 2�C). This is almost as much as the world emits today. In comparison, the current EU target under the Kyoto Protocol requires a reduction of about 350 million tonnes by 2012 compared to 1990 levels, an 8% reduction, representing just a fraction of the future challenge. Concrete examples illustrate the magnitude of this task (see table). To achieve just 1bn tonnes of carbon reduction, which equals 3.3bn tonnes of CO2 or one-seventh out of the total of 22bn tonnes, one would need to bring into effect one of the following technological breakthroughs: increase current global wind power capacity by 150 times, bring into operation 1bn hydrogen cars to replace the same number of conventional 8 litre per 100 km cars, boost nuclear power five-fold or convert one-half of the current US agricultural lands into biomass production. Alternatively, 1bn tonnes of carbon reduction equals 15 times the EU directive on energy performance of buildings (EPB), if extended to all houses and not just to limited categories as required today. Although it is true that energy efficiency improvements offer a great potential for reductions in the short term, there will be a need for new and breakthrough technologies that are not yet proven for the medium and longer term. Technology will have to play a central role if we want to stop dangerous climate changes. No killer technology It would, however, be wrong to assume that one or a few 'killer technologies', such as hydrogen, can do the job. Rather we will need a broad range of technologies: clean coal technologies, various renewables, carbon capture and storage, nuclear. And even then we need dramatic improvements alongside existing technologies, such as in energy production and transportation, in buildings or transport technologies. It is time to put the EU's innovation capacity to the test and learn whether it is up to the job of developing and diffusing the necessary technologies on a large scale and it is time to develop a strategy now. This does not only include research spending, which in some member states is dangerously low, but also a vision of how to bring technologies to the market. Finally, it involves issues such as education (of engineers) and the fostering of entrepreneurship. Getting serious about climate change Large cuts in greenhouse gas emissions will only occur if key EU policies are brought in line with climate change objectives, notably agriculture, transport, energy, development, trade, external action and enterprise policy. EU heads of governments should focus on developing a comprehensive and consistent climate change strategy. A new round of climate negotiations to discuss the international climate framework post-2012 might be launched this December at the UN Climate Summit in Montreal. In its preparations for these negotiations, the EU needs to be clear on how it proposes to deliver on its promises. Environmentalists should realise that it is only when companies and the Commission's services rush to get a space under the 'post-Kyoto sun', in the same way that they do for the Lisbon Agenda, that the EU is getting serious on climate change. Major analysis feature in which tha authors take a look at the European Union's policy on climate change and make suggestions for the upcoming Montreal UN Conference on climate change regarding a post-2012 regime to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Article is part of a European Voice Special Report: 'Climate Change (COP11 and MOP1 Conference)'. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Environment |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
