At a press conference during the first day of the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, the European Union has stated it will not raise its emissions cuts from 20 percent to 30 percent by 2020 (over 1990 levels) unless the US and China go further in their cuts.
“If you analyze the bids they are not going to deliver the emissions reductions that would be keeping the Earth’s temperature [increase] below 2C. The US and China cover half the world’s emissions so it will be absolutely decisive what they deliver,” said Sweden’s Environment Minister, Andreas Carlgren, as reported by the Times. “I want to go to the 30 percent, but now it’s the endgame to release the pressure on other parties.”
Calgren added that he expected President Obama of the US to offer greater cuts. Currently the US has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. However, this is only a 4 percent cut from 1990 levels.
Jonathan Pershing, US deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, defended the US position saying that “the president has put on the table a remarkable number.”
Calgren also criticized China’s emission target, which calls for a 40-45 percent reduction of emissions per unit of GDP by 2020, saying that it would allow for a huge increase in emissions, according to the Times.
Carlgren said that the EU would not decide whether or not to jump its current target from 20 percent to 30 percent until the conference’s end to keep pressure on the other states.
Past and projected CO2 emissions for countries, 1990-2030. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) forecasts for emissions from energy use until 2030.
Related articles
Obama administration about to declare carbon dioxide a danger to the public, allowing regulation
(12/06/2009) The day before talks start in Copenhagen on a new international treaty to combat climate change, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States is set to declare carbon dioxide a ‘public danger’ as soon as Monday.
The US will set emissions target, but is this a turning point for success at Copenhagen?
(11/24/2009) Today may mark a turning point for a successful negotiation at the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen or it may just be another blip in the up-and-down news cycles that have preceded the summit for months.
Record year for CO2 emissions, even with economic slowdown
(11/17/2009) 8.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide was emitted into the earth’s atmosphere in 2008, a growth of 2 percent despite the economic crisis. This averages out to each person contributing a record high of 1.3 tons of carbon, according to a report in the journal Nature Science. While the global recession slowed the growth of fossil fuel emissions for the first time this decade, it did not lower emissions altogether.