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EU carbon polluter emissions rose slightly last year but not as fast as economy
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 07 - 06 - 2007


Major European Union carbon
polluters released 0.3 percent more greenhouse gas
emissions last year, despite a cap-and-trade system that
aims to reduce Europe's contribution to global warming, AP REPORTED.
The European Commission said the polluters taking part in
its emissions trading plan had increased emissions, but at
a rate well below the 27-nation bloc's economic growth of 3
percent.
Total verified emissions were 2.026 billion metric tons of
carbon dioxide. This only covers the heavy industry and
power plants taking part in the trading plan and does not
include other fumes from cars, trains and planes.
In real terms, last year's emissions from the program were
0.8 percent higher than the 2005 figure, but the EU
executive adjusted the figure to take into account 300 new
trading participants, giving an increase of 0.3 percent.
The EU's four biggest polluting nations _ Germany,
Britain, Poland and Italy _ all increased carbon dioxide
releases. Cleaner countries such as France _ which relies
largely on CO2-free nuclear power _ Spain and the
Netherlands cut overall emissions.
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas insisted that
the cap-and-trade system is still working, even though
emissions are going up instead of down.
«It is important to note that the rise last year was very
limited and far below the rate of economic growth,» he
said.
The first stage of emissions trading, running from 2005 to
2007, has not been an unqualified success. Caps governing
how much CO2 each nation could release were set much higher
than actual emissions for 2005, meaning there was no push
for polluters to change their ways.
The system relies on a shortage of carbon release permits
to give companies a financial incentive to cut back on
carbon and switch to cleaner technology.
Dimas said the EU is still learning by doing.
«I am convinced that the strict caps we are putting on
allowances for the second phase of the emission trading
scheme starting next year will greatly contribute to
cutting our emissions and help us reach our Kyoto
targets,» he said.
The commission said the lack of proper data on emissions
before 2005 makes it hard to gauge the program's success.
Some 10,605 heavy industry installations _ such as
coal-fired power stations, steel plants and cement
manufacturers _ took part in the program last year. Some
220 have so far failed to send in information on how much
carbon they had released, missing a May 1 deadline. Most of
these are small, and together they account for 0.2 percent
of the overall carbon cap.
Despite its efforts to tackle global warming by seeking a
new global deal to reduce greenhouse gases in coming
decades, the EU may only just meet its promise to cut
emissions by 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012 under the
1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change.


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