10-03-07
European Union leaders have agreed to set a binding target for renewable
energy sources, the Swedish prime minister says. But Fredrik Reinfeldt said
negotiations were ongoing over each member state's share of renewable
sources of energy.
"We have agreed that we need a target for renewable energy supply and that
it will be binding, but it will follow a discussion on what that means for
each member state," Reinfeldt said after the first session of the European
summit.
Sticking point
The issue of setting a mandatory target -- that 20 % of EU energy
consumption should be met by renewable sources by 2020 -- was the main
sticking point in a long-term EU climate change and energy strategy due to
be adopted. EU leaders had been pushing more reluctant member states to
accept tough, binding targets for slashing carbon emissions and the use of
renewable sources of energy.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor who is chairing her first summit, had
challenged the leaders to back ambitious proposals to cut greenhouse gases
and said the union's credibility was at stake.
"We know that we have tough negotiations ahead of us," she said before
the first session of the two-day gathering in Brussels. "But I hope and
trust that at the end of the day the results will be such that we are
credible in the face of the people here in Europe and can show the rest of
the world we can make a substantial contribution," she said.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the European commission president, had urged the EU
leaders not to miss "a great occasion for Europe to make a real contribution
to a transition to a low carbon economy".
In an effort to limit the rise in average global temperatures to 2
degrees Celsius above pre-industrial era levels, the leaders will commit to
cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 % from 1990 levels by 2020. To entice
other developed countries to take bigger steps, the EU will also offer to
slash emissions by 30 % -- which green groups say is the minimum needed to
achieve Europe's goals -- if those nations also agree to participate.
Merkel said: "Europe can only be the pace-setter on climate change and
energy policy if we manage to set ourselves clear targets."
Divergent views
But while everyone agreed on the need to cut emissions, views diverged on
how to achieve them. Some newer EU members such as the Czech Republic,
Hungary and Poland depend heavily on carbon-heavy fuels like coal, and had
opposed setting a mandatory target that 20 % of EU energy consumption should
be met by renewable sources by 2020.
A showdown expected between Merkel and Jacques Chirac, the French president,
appeared to have been averted despite French opposition in recent days to
have binding standards. But Chirac said he wanted nuclear energy to be taken
into account.
In the US, Democrats in the House of Representatives beat down Republican
objections to create a special panel to study and offer recommendations on
how to deal with global warming.
Nancy Pelosi, the house speaker, said: "Globalwarming may be the greatest
challenge of our time, setting at risk our economy, environment and national
security. The House is giving these issues the high visibility they
deserve."
Source: Aljazeera.net