New EU member states, led by Hungary, are pushing for the EU to revise their emission targets. The states, including Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia, contest the EU's decision to base CO2 cutting targets on 2005 figures as this fails to acknowledge the former Soviet states' emission reductions before this date. Gabor Baranyai, the head of EU co-ordination at Hungary's Environment and Water Ministry, argues that the date should return to 1990, brining it in line with the date used by the Kyoto Protocol. Greenhouse gas emissions plummeted in Eastern Europe in the 15 years following the fall of communism, due to the closure of many companies. The EU Commission's aim is to cut CO2 emissions by 21% by 2020 in relation the 2005 levels. Although the EU have not responded to Hungary's demands, they do not plan to revise the Emissions Trading System until 2012.
Results from the ETS show that last year the UK had the highest carbon emissions in Europe. The overall increase across Europe was 0.68%, despite targets to cut emissions, whilst the UK saw a 2.2% in emissions. British ministers blame the disproportionate rise on organisations overspending 'carbon credits'. This merely adds to concerns that the EU's carbon trading scheme is not tough enough to enable them to meet their 2020 targets. Environmental campaigners believe that the system does not come down hard enough on power companies who can simply buy their way out of cutting emissions.
Indonesia, unlike their Asian neighbours, have committed themselves to slashing CO2 emissions by 17% by 2025. With a population of 235 million people, Indonesia has one of the biggest carbon footprints outside the developed world. Indonesian ministers, in the light of recent natural disasters in the Far East, have voiced concerns over the rapid growth of emissions in the developing world and the huge threat it make to this area of the world in particular, hence their pledge to cut their own emissions. The proposal comes ahead of pre-G8 meetings in Kobe, Japan in preparation for July's G8 summit in Hokkaido. The Indonesian government states that they will reach their radical targets by reducing forest burning and cutting the use of oil. The UN is supporting Indonesia's targets, despite other parties believing that they are unachievable, and hope that the G8 not only discuss plans goals for 2050 but also set intermediate targets.
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This post was written by Grace Simpson on June 3, 2008