EU environment ministers locked
horns over carbon emissions policy
at European Union (EU) environment
talks held in Luxembourg earlier
this month.
While some pledged to honour
reduction targets for the bloc others
expressed deep opposition to the plan,
fearing a loss of billions of euros and
the weakening of their economies in
light of the global financial crisis.
Last year the EU pledged to cut
greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of
1990 levels by 2020 and to ensure that
renewable energies would make up
20% of its energy sources. To achieve
these targets, heavy industry which
accounts for around 40% of the EU's
carbon emissions, would have to cut
its emissions by 21% from
2005 levels.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi labelled the plan
unreasonable, arguing that such
lofty emission targets coupled with
the financial crisis would place an
unacceptable burden on the economy.
He called for a review mechanism that
would allow for changes to the EU's
targets once the plan's costs had been
accurately calculated.
The Baltic states – Bulgaria,
Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and
Poland – also raised objections to the
EU plan, exposing concerns that their
coal-reliant energy sectors would not
be able to adapt in time.
French environment minister Jean-
Louis Borloo however noted that
“the financial crisis does not stop
climate change”. German environment
minister Sigmar Gabriel added that
“the financial crisis was being used
as an excuse by states afraid of the
economic consequences of bridling
carbon emissions”.
This is in line with the opinions of
speakers at the green supply chain
conference recently held in South
Africa. Rose Luke, senior researcher of
the department of transport and supply
chain management at the University
of Johannesburg (UJ), noted that no
commercial entity in the world would
voluntarily adopt a green supply
chain. The reason, said Alex Novitzky,
supply chain development manager at
Maersk Logistics, is that the current
mindset erroneously equates reducing
CO2 with an increase in costs.
Global financial crisis leaves a dirty carbon footprint
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