EU Climate Change Scheme Not Embraced By Environmentalists

Environmentalists did not embrace the EU scheme revealed Wednesday cut climate warming carbon emissions by one-fifth and increase energy from renewables like wind, wave and sun by 2020.
Environmentalists have commented that the 20 percent greenhouse gas emissions cuts are well below the 25-40 percent target the developed world agreed at a UN meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali last month.
“The promising parts of this energy package are overshadowed by a greenhouse gas target that falls well short of what is needed,” stated Friends of the Earth campaigner Sonja Meister.  “Reducing greenhouse gases by only 20 per cent is simply not enough. The EU must live up to the agreements made in Bali.”
Both environmentalists and business welcomed the increase to renewables.  The plan calls for 20 per cent of all EU energy to come from these sources by 2020.
‘Green’ advocates were not so positive, however, about the EU’s plant to get 10 percent of road fuels from agriculture.  They termed it unworkable and unsustainable, noting that large tracts of rain forest had already been cut down to generate biofuels.
“The EU target for biofuels is a mistake. Biomass is more efficiently used for electricity and heat production, rather than to fuel high-consumption cars,” commented Greenpeace renewables campaigner Frauke Thies.

www.foe.co.uk