Wednesday 31 May 2017

MEPS vote to improve EU emissions policy

MEPs have voted to improve one of the EU's key climate policies.

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee have proposed improvements to the original draft of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR), which covers emissions from the transport, waste, buildings and agriculture sectors for the coming decade.

The Committee voted in favour of aligning the starting point for emission reductions with real emission levels and limiting the loophole allowing countries to use offsets from forestry to meet targets.

The Committee's changes would result in almost 400 million tonnes of emission reductions.

Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network Europe said: "MEPs took a step in the right direction to make this policy work for the climate.

"The proposal to set a starting point which better reflects actual emissions is the single most important measure to increase ambition when the end target is set too low.

"Still, without a much more ambitious climate policy for reducing emissions in the transport, buildings, agriculture and waste sectors the EU will not fulfil its commitments under the Paris Agreement."

The EU’s climate laws could be undermined by a mutiny from Poland and the Czech Republic.