Asia Balks at Emission Limits
European Union and Asian leaders have signed a joint declaration in Helsinki, on climate change, which environmental groups like Greenpeace call "too vague".
E.U. Car Makers under Pressure to Cut Emissions
The European Commission is threatening car makers to impose legislation on the Auto industry, should car makers fail to respect their commitment to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
EU Strategy To Protect the Mediterranean
Brussels - The European Union proposed last week a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea.
Asia Balks at Emission Limits
By Israel Rafalovich
European Union and Asian leaders have signed a joint declaration in Helsinki, on climate change, which environmental groups like Greenpeace call "too vague".
Asian countries balked at binding themselves to any firm commitment to cut greenhouse gases.
Officials from Helsinki said the "the basic idea is to find a platform for work after 2012", the end of the current commitments under the UN Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The declaration does not make any clear commitment, but supports the UN Convention of Climate Change(UNFCC) and the Kyoto Protocol as "the appropriate international framework to develop further actions against climate change."
The Kyoto protocol of 1997 commits 35 industralised nations to reducing greenhouse gas emissions an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels during 2008-2012.
At the 6th Asia-Europe meeting, the leaders committed to step-up cooperation and investment in clean technologies, for about 6.3.trillion dollars by the year 2030.
As the demand for energy in Asia is soaring, which in recent years pushed up oil prices, the European Union is eager to promote renewable energies as well as energy-efficient technologies in order to cut the consumption and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. But, say experts, in the long-term, the only real answers are in technological breakthroughs.
At the sometime, EU and Asian leaders promised to push this possibility forward by working with international financing and development institutions to encourage investment in clean energy, as the use of renewable energies and energy efficiency technologies are the key element.
China - the second largest emitter of CO2, after the United States - has signed the Kyoto Protocol but were not tied by legally binding emissions reduction targets in order to let their economies develop.
As China's economy show's growth, there is increased pressure for China to join in, along with its rival India.
For the European Union, the challenge is to draw all major emitters of greenhouse gases, into a binding pollution-cutting scheme in order not to penalise its own industry against tough foreign competition.
Israel Rafalovich
E.U. Car Makers under Pressure to Cut Emissions
By Israel Rafalovich
Brussels - The European Commission is threatening car makers to impose legislation on the Auto industry, should car makers fail to respect their commitment to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
European Union enterprise Commissioner Günter Verheugen pointed out that "the situation is not satisfactory" and urged the industry to step up their effort.
His spokesman, Gregor Kreuzhuber, said: "if car makers do not live up to their commitment... then the European Commission would not hesitate to replace the carrot for the stick, in this case the stick could be, for example, regulatory action. The car industry should be aware that we are watching the situation very closely."
Legislation could upset the car industry, should the Commission decide to act, but no time table was given to when the measures might be taken.
The 15 oldest European Union states have agreed to reduce greenhouse gases to eight percent below 1990 levels by 2012 and this as part of the Kyoto Protocol Agreement on the climate change.
Carmakers are concerned about missing the target, as a boon in diesel-powered cars with lower CO2 emissions to an end. For European car makers diesel engines are a key issue, as they used them to attract local buyers. American as well as Japanese manufacturers have been weak in diesel technology because not much is used in their home markets.
Diesel engines are considered big polluters, and in Europe diesel is cheaper than other petrol in Europe.
The European Union strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from cars rests on three pillars. The important one consists of voluntary commitments by the European, Japanese and Korean car manufacturers' to reduce CO2 emissions from their cars to an average of 140g/km by 2008, for the European manufacturers and 2009 for the Japanese and Korean producers.
The European Commission sees this goal "technically feasible" and "expects car makers to reach it".
The Commission is currently reviewing the strategy and the options available to further reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles in the 25 European member states.
The revised strategy will be based on an integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from cars involving various stakeholders and extending, amongst others, the car technology, fuels, infrastructure and driver behavior.
The European Commission insisted that carmakers must make more efforts after the report of 2004 which put emissions at 161g/km, down 1.2 percent from 2003.
The latest findings confirm that, average, CO2 emissions from new cars sold in Europe in 2004 were 12.4 percent below 1995 levels, compared with 11.8 percent in 2003.
Road transport generates more than one fifth of all CO2 emissions in the European Union with passenger cars being responsible for more than half of these emissions. CO2 emissions from road transport have risen by 22 percent since 1990, notably due to increases both in the number of cars on the roads as well as in the distances that are driven annually.
Israel Rafalovich
EU Strategy To Protect the Mediterranean
By Israel Rafalovich
Brussels - The European Union proposed last week a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea.
The ecosystem of the Mediterranean is deteriorating because of environmental pressures as pollution and construction along the shore increase.
The oil spill in Lebanon has brought to the forefront the vulnerability of the environment along the Mediterranean Sea.
The deterioration endangers the health of those who live along the shores as well as the development of economic sectors that depend on the sea, such as fishing and tourism.
As the largest European Sea, the Mediterranean is shared by 22 countries and is visited by 175 million tourists a year.
For thirty years, efforts have been made to protect the sea, but as environmental pressure, such as industrial pollution, shipping and the destruction of the coastal ecosystem, the Mediterranean continues to deteriorate.
According to current estimates fifty percent of the Mediterranean coastline might be built-up by 2025, which might cost more than three percent of the gross domestic product a year in North African states, such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco.
Although the environmental challenges are known and the solutions exist, the effectiveness of the international action has been hampered because of the lack of financing and low priority given in many countries.
Under the new environmental strategy the European Union will provide financial assistance to countries that are bordering the Mediterranean.
The European Union will also support specific environmental projects. In order to achieve a cleaner Mediterranean, international organisations, donor countries and especially those countries along the Mediterranean sea will need to make a bigger effort. The European Union says, that it intends to concentrate its efforts and resources where it can make a real change.
Five are the goals of the European Union strategy:
1. To reduce pollution levels across the Mediterranean region.
2. To promote sustainable use of the sea and its coastline.
3. To encourage the countries surrounding the Mediterranean to cooperate on environmental issues.
4. To assist countries in the region in developing effective institutions as well as policies to protect the environment.
5. To involve NGOs and the public in environmental decision making that are affecting them.
The new strategy will also be discussed during the Euro-Med meeting of environment ministers that will take place in Cairo, Egypt, on 20 November 2006.
Israel Rafalovich
Please also see:
Air Travel Impact on Environment Debated, notes Israel Rafalovich http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=2505&blz=1
MEDIA ALERT: BEYOND PROPAGANDA
Climate Change, BP Greenwash And The Press
http://www.medialens.org/alerts/index.php
BUSH DECLARES ECO-WHISTLEBLOWER LAW VOID FOR EPA EMPLOYEES — Stealth Repeal of Clean Water Act Protections by Invoking “Sovereign Immunity”
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=743
COP 6: An Unusual Blend Of Failure and Success,
by Christiane N. Martens and Paul V. Rafferty
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout3.php&id=22&blz=1
The Transport Industry and a Shift from Road to Rail, by Christiane Martens
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout1.php&id=14&blz=1
The Insurance Industry: Environmental Dangers May Soon Be Uninsurable,
by Christiane Martens
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout3.php&id=13&blz=1
European Union and Asian leaders have signed a joint declaration in Helsinki, on climate change, which environmental groups like Greenpeace call "too vague".
E.U. Car Makers under Pressure to Cut Emissions
The European Commission is threatening car makers to impose legislation on the Auto industry, should car makers fail to respect their commitment to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
EU Strategy To Protect the Mediterranean
Brussels - The European Union proposed last week a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea.
Asia Balks at Emission Limits
By Israel Rafalovich
European Union and Asian leaders have signed a joint declaration in Helsinki, on climate change, which environmental groups like Greenpeace call "too vague".
Asian countries balked at binding themselves to any firm commitment to cut greenhouse gases.
Officials from Helsinki said the "the basic idea is to find a platform for work after 2012", the end of the current commitments under the UN Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The declaration does not make any clear commitment, but supports the UN Convention of Climate Change(UNFCC) and the Kyoto Protocol as "the appropriate international framework to develop further actions against climate change."
The Kyoto protocol of 1997 commits 35 industralised nations to reducing greenhouse gas emissions an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels during 2008-2012.
At the 6th Asia-Europe meeting, the leaders committed to step-up cooperation and investment in clean technologies, for about 6.3.trillion dollars by the year 2030.
As the demand for energy in Asia is soaring, which in recent years pushed up oil prices, the European Union is eager to promote renewable energies as well as energy-efficient technologies in order to cut the consumption and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. But, say experts, in the long-term, the only real answers are in technological breakthroughs.
At the sometime, EU and Asian leaders promised to push this possibility forward by working with international financing and development institutions to encourage investment in clean energy, as the use of renewable energies and energy efficiency technologies are the key element.
China - the second largest emitter of CO2, after the United States - has signed the Kyoto Protocol but were not tied by legally binding emissions reduction targets in order to let their economies develop.
As China's economy show's growth, there is increased pressure for China to join in, along with its rival India.
For the European Union, the challenge is to draw all major emitters of greenhouse gases, into a binding pollution-cutting scheme in order not to penalise its own industry against tough foreign competition.
Israel Rafalovich
E.U. Car Makers under Pressure to Cut Emissions
By Israel Rafalovich
Brussels - The European Commission is threatening car makers to impose legislation on the Auto industry, should car makers fail to respect their commitment to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
European Union enterprise Commissioner Günter Verheugen pointed out that "the situation is not satisfactory" and urged the industry to step up their effort.
His spokesman, Gregor Kreuzhuber, said: "if car makers do not live up to their commitment... then the European Commission would not hesitate to replace the carrot for the stick, in this case the stick could be, for example, regulatory action. The car industry should be aware that we are watching the situation very closely."
Legislation could upset the car industry, should the Commission decide to act, but no time table was given to when the measures might be taken.
The 15 oldest European Union states have agreed to reduce greenhouse gases to eight percent below 1990 levels by 2012 and this as part of the Kyoto Protocol Agreement on the climate change.
Carmakers are concerned about missing the target, as a boon in diesel-powered cars with lower CO2 emissions to an end. For European car makers diesel engines are a key issue, as they used them to attract local buyers. American as well as Japanese manufacturers have been weak in diesel technology because not much is used in their home markets.
Diesel engines are considered big polluters, and in Europe diesel is cheaper than other petrol in Europe.
The European Union strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from cars rests on three pillars. The important one consists of voluntary commitments by the European, Japanese and Korean car manufacturers' to reduce CO2 emissions from their cars to an average of 140g/km by 2008, for the European manufacturers and 2009 for the Japanese and Korean producers.
The European Commission sees this goal "technically feasible" and "expects car makers to reach it".
The Commission is currently reviewing the strategy and the options available to further reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles in the 25 European member states.
The revised strategy will be based on an integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from cars involving various stakeholders and extending, amongst others, the car technology, fuels, infrastructure and driver behavior.
The European Commission insisted that carmakers must make more efforts after the report of 2004 which put emissions at 161g/km, down 1.2 percent from 2003.
The latest findings confirm that, average, CO2 emissions from new cars sold in Europe in 2004 were 12.4 percent below 1995 levels, compared with 11.8 percent in 2003.
Road transport generates more than one fifth of all CO2 emissions in the European Union with passenger cars being responsible for more than half of these emissions. CO2 emissions from road transport have risen by 22 percent since 1990, notably due to increases both in the number of cars on the roads as well as in the distances that are driven annually.
Israel Rafalovich
EU Strategy To Protect the Mediterranean
By Israel Rafalovich
Brussels - The European Union proposed last week a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea.
The ecosystem of the Mediterranean is deteriorating because of environmental pressures as pollution and construction along the shore increase.
The oil spill in Lebanon has brought to the forefront the vulnerability of the environment along the Mediterranean Sea.
The deterioration endangers the health of those who live along the shores as well as the development of economic sectors that depend on the sea, such as fishing and tourism.
As the largest European Sea, the Mediterranean is shared by 22 countries and is visited by 175 million tourists a year.
For thirty years, efforts have been made to protect the sea, but as environmental pressure, such as industrial pollution, shipping and the destruction of the coastal ecosystem, the Mediterranean continues to deteriorate.
According to current estimates fifty percent of the Mediterranean coastline might be built-up by 2025, which might cost more than three percent of the gross domestic product a year in North African states, such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco.
Although the environmental challenges are known and the solutions exist, the effectiveness of the international action has been hampered because of the lack of financing and low priority given in many countries.
Under the new environmental strategy the European Union will provide financial assistance to countries that are bordering the Mediterranean.
The European Union will also support specific environmental projects. In order to achieve a cleaner Mediterranean, international organisations, donor countries and especially those countries along the Mediterranean sea will need to make a bigger effort. The European Union says, that it intends to concentrate its efforts and resources where it can make a real change.
Five are the goals of the European Union strategy:
1. To reduce pollution levels across the Mediterranean region.
2. To promote sustainable use of the sea and its coastline.
3. To encourage the countries surrounding the Mediterranean to cooperate on environmental issues.
4. To assist countries in the region in developing effective institutions as well as policies to protect the environment.
5. To involve NGOs and the public in environmental decision making that are affecting them.
The new strategy will also be discussed during the Euro-Med meeting of environment ministers that will take place in Cairo, Egypt, on 20 November 2006.
Israel Rafalovich
Please also see:
Air Travel Impact on Environment Debated, notes Israel Rafalovich http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=2505&blz=1
MEDIA ALERT: BEYOND PROPAGANDA
Climate Change, BP Greenwash And The Press
http://www.medialens.org/alerts/index.php
BUSH DECLARES ECO-WHISTLEBLOWER LAW VOID FOR EPA EMPLOYEES — Stealth Repeal of Clean Water Act Protections by Invoking “Sovereign Immunity”
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=743
COP 6: An Unusual Blend Of Failure and Success,
by Christiane N. Martens and Paul V. Rafferty
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout3.php&id=22&blz=1
The Transport Industry and a Shift from Road to Rail, by Christiane Martens
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout1.php&id=14&blz=1
The Insurance Industry: Environmental Dangers May Soon Be Uninsurable,
by Christiane Martens
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout3.php&id=13&blz=1