The European Commission today (Nov 4) launched a "long term sustained" approach to make sure that the raw material supplies to Europe do not suffer for different reasons.
Stressing that the EU industrial sector is facing a decline in the global supply of raw materials, Gunter Verheugen, the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry said, "We must act, to ensure that access to raw materials for enterprises will not be hampered. We need fair play on external markets, a good framework to foster sustainable raw materials supply from EU sources as well as improved resource efficiency and more use of recycling."
Presenting the proposals to journalists in Brussels, Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission said, "It is our aim to make sure that Europe's industry will be able to continue to play a leading role in new technologies and innovation."
Talking to New Europe later after the press conference, Commissioner Verheugen said, "I stressed integrated approach from the beginning. As the there are two groups of the European Commission involved: External Relations group and Competitive group, we will need co-ordination structure."
Commissioner further said, "As the instruments needed to are not in my hands, there is a strong support I have from the other commissioners on the subject."
"I have agreed with my colleagues, notably Cathy Ashton, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Louis Michel and Stavros Dimas, to closely cooperate to implement the proposed strategy," Verheugen earlier told the press conference.
In his presentations, Commissioner Verheugen said, "Americans and Japanese have a stockpiling policy," adding that the Europeans, who lack such a policy, will have to develop it over the coming years. "We are committed to improve the conditions of access to raw materials, be it within Europe or by creating a level playing field in accessing such materials from abroad," the Commissioner said.
Moreover, the importance of recycling got due attention as the Commission said, "Recycling presents a huge opportunity to reduce import dependency for raw materials," lamenting that many end-of-life products are "illegally shipped outside the EU and are hence not recycled within the EU."
Outlining the three major pillars for its policy development, the Commission listed:
"Access to raw materials on world markets at undistorted conditions;
The right framework to foster sustainable supply of raw materials from EU sources;
Increase resource efficiency and promoting recycling in the EU."
Earlier presentation by the Commission of a "European strategy for the sustainable use of natural resources" had met with strong criticism in the European parliament and now the Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has the mandate from the Competitiveness Council of the EU to develop a "coherent political approach" to address the raw material problems in different sectors.
http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90399.php
Showing posts with label Stavros Dimas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stavros Dimas. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Canada reacts as EU moves to ban seal products
Brussels, July 28 - The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union last week floated proposals for EU wide ban on seal products from countries that fail to meet high animal welfare standards. Calling for a ban on all seal products obtained through “cruel hunting methods,” European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas labelled them as “repugnant.”
In the EU, sealhunting is practised in Sweden, Finland, the Danish territory of Greenland and in the UK while in Canada it is the biggest hunt in the world with thousands killed annually off its east coast. Commenting on the EU proposed regulations to ban seal products, Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, reiterated in a statement, “Once again, we would like to caution European decision-makers: adopting broad regulations to ban products from a responsible, sustainable and well-regulated hunt is a slippery slope. To bow to misinformation and emotional rhetoric in restricting the trade of humanely harvested animals would set a dangerous precedent for all wild hunts.”
While announcing the total allowable catch (TAC) and other management measure for the 2008 Atlantic seal hunt, Hearn said in early March, “The seal hunt is an economic mainstay for numerous rural communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North.” The minister had stressed, “The government has taken further steps to ensure the hunt continues to be conducted in a humane manner, adopting recommendations of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group.”
The European Commission explained that it is just addressing concerns expressed by the European Parliament and the general public, “that seals are being killed and skinned using practices that unnecessarily inflict pain and suffering.” Neil Parish, Conservative MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Animal Welfare intergroup had earlier this year urged the Commission to take action: “As the culling season gets underway, the time has come for the Commission to take action. The slaughter of seals in Canada, including seals that are just a few weeks old, is barbaric and the EU should not condone it.”
The Commission also cited the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion as saying, “that seals can be killed rapidly and effectively by a number of methods without causing avoidable pain, distress and suffering, but evidence shows that effective killing does not always happen in practice.”
Clarifying this EFSA point, one reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt told New Europe, “Canada’s seal hunt is humane, sustainable and responsible. The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.”
Warning that the Canadian government will “continue to stand up for sealers to protect the Canadian sealing industry and our markets,” the Canadian minister said, “While we are encouraged that the hard work of the Prime Minister, Fisheries Conservation Ambassador Sullivan, and the international team from the provinces and territories has led us to successfully secure exemptions from the proposed ban, our position remains that any ban on a humanely conducted hunt, such as Canada’s, is without cause.” “In the weeks and months ahead, the federal government - along with our provincial and territorial governments and sealing industry leaders - will be reviewing how the proposed regulations and any exemptions would apply to Canada. Canada expects the EU to quickly begin discussions on the conditions for exemption from the draft regulations so that any trade restriction would have no impact on market access for products from Canada’s humane, regulated and responsible hunt,” Hearn added.
Canada’s annual culling of seals attracts the ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups. With Belgium and the Netherlands already banning the import of seal-derived products while Germany and Austria are considering closing their markets too, the industry pundits predict that proposed EU wide ban will devastate the seal product industry as one-third of the products head for the EU. The EU proposals still need to be debated and cleared by the European parliament and then Council of Ministers made of 27 Member States.
In the EU, sealhunting is practised in Sweden, Finland, the Danish territory of Greenland and in the UK while in Canada it is the biggest hunt in the world with thousands killed annually off its east coast. Commenting on the EU proposed regulations to ban seal products, Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, reiterated in a statement, “Once again, we would like to caution European decision-makers: adopting broad regulations to ban products from a responsible, sustainable and well-regulated hunt is a slippery slope. To bow to misinformation and emotional rhetoric in restricting the trade of humanely harvested animals would set a dangerous precedent for all wild hunts.”
While announcing the total allowable catch (TAC) and other management measure for the 2008 Atlantic seal hunt, Hearn said in early March, “The seal hunt is an economic mainstay for numerous rural communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North.” The minister had stressed, “The government has taken further steps to ensure the hunt continues to be conducted in a humane manner, adopting recommendations of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group.”
The European Commission explained that it is just addressing concerns expressed by the European Parliament and the general public, “that seals are being killed and skinned using practices that unnecessarily inflict pain and suffering.” Neil Parish, Conservative MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Animal Welfare intergroup had earlier this year urged the Commission to take action: “As the culling season gets underway, the time has come for the Commission to take action. The slaughter of seals in Canada, including seals that are just a few weeks old, is barbaric and the EU should not condone it.”
The Commission also cited the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion as saying, “that seals can be killed rapidly and effectively by a number of methods without causing avoidable pain, distress and suffering, but evidence shows that effective killing does not always happen in practice.”
Clarifying this EFSA point, one reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt told New Europe, “Canada’s seal hunt is humane, sustainable and responsible. The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.”
Warning that the Canadian government will “continue to stand up for sealers to protect the Canadian sealing industry and our markets,” the Canadian minister said, “While we are encouraged that the hard work of the Prime Minister, Fisheries Conservation Ambassador Sullivan, and the international team from the provinces and territories has led us to successfully secure exemptions from the proposed ban, our position remains that any ban on a humanely conducted hunt, such as Canada’s, is without cause.” “In the weeks and months ahead, the federal government - along with our provincial and territorial governments and sealing industry leaders - will be reviewing how the proposed regulations and any exemptions would apply to Canada. Canada expects the EU to quickly begin discussions on the conditions for exemption from the draft regulations so that any trade restriction would have no impact on market access for products from Canada’s humane, regulated and responsible hunt,” Hearn added.
Canada’s annual culling of seals attracts the ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups. With Belgium and the Netherlands already banning the import of seal-derived products while Germany and Austria are considering closing their markets too, the industry pundits predict that proposed EU wide ban will devastate the seal product industry as one-third of the products head for the EU. The EU proposals still need to be debated and cleared by the European parliament and then Council of Ministers made of 27 Member States.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Focus from seals to humans
Delegation highlights humane, historic side of hunting
Humans risk their lives for their livelihoods since the days of yore and the fact came alive with the death of four seal hunters in the icy North Atlantic waters recently.
While the protesters were trying to find more footage to prove the “inhumane” angle and a Canadian delegation was visiting Europe to nullify those efforts, the accident cut short this year’s hunt for the area of Iles-de-la-Madeleine as hunters left the ice floes out of respect for their lost comrades.
In the comparatively warmer labyrinth of European Union, a delegation from across the Atlantic, led by Loyola Sullivan, Canada’s Ambassador of Fisheries Conservation, argued the case of an “age-old” traditional way of life for seal hunters and the right to selfdetermination.
Echoing the sentiment, Paul Okalik, Premier, Government of Nunavut, told New Europe, “We are here to tell the truth and explain our story. When people open their eyes and ears they will understand that we are doing what every human on earth is doing - earning a living, eating and surviving.”
The visit came in the light of earlier reports that European Commissioner Stavros Dimas was considering a ban on seal products within the EU in the coming months.
Reiterating her earlier comments, Barbara Helfferich, the spokeswoman for commissioner Dimas, told journalists last week, “We are concerned about inhumane hunting of seals. We support sustainable hunting. We are preparing a paper, a communication that takes account of these issues and we hope to have something ready before June or before the summer to be correct.”
Asked to comment on the fact that the Canadian seal hunt is already on and the commission report is not expected before the summer, Helfferich said, “The season for Canada is on. It is limited to particular Canadian quota. Whatever we are doing, we are doing in general, we are not targeting any particular country. So I can not comment on season or not season.”
Confirming the visit of the Canadian delegation she said, “I have nothing more to say on the issue. Mr. Sullivan has been visiting the commission, the cabinet of Commissioner Dimas.”
Lamenting the negative publicity by vested interests, Sullivan told New Europe, “The bad publicity caused by misinformation is of great concern to us. Our job is to correct this misinformation to ensure the public have all the faces on the issue. Unfortunately, this misinformation is driven by various groups who use the seal harvest as a main method of raising money.”
Earlier at a press conference, Sullivan hinted at retaliatory action by Canada within the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) in case the EU considers ban on seal products, “I believe strongly that there shouldn’t be restrictions on access to markets... The European Commission has an obligation to live up to their commitments. We hope they exercise that right.”
Reflecting on the position of the Canadian government which is taking these EU trade action threats “very seriously,” Sullivan said, “(The Canadian government will defend) the legitimate sustainable, humane, economic activity for some of the most disadvantaged people in our country.”
Challenging the information being churned out by various sources about Canadian seal hunting, Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador said, “We have to keep doing what we’re doing now to ensure that the correct information gets out. We challenge those engaged in the debate to be responsible with regards to their research and to ensure that the information they are putting forward is correct.”
Earlier, one reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt had told New Europe, “The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.”
Although Greenland, Norway, Russia and even the EU member state Finland take to seal hunting, it is only Canada’s annual culling of seals which attracts ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups.
Humans risk their lives for their livelihoods since the days of yore and the fact came alive with the death of four seal hunters in the icy North Atlantic waters recently.
While the protesters were trying to find more footage to prove the “inhumane” angle and a Canadian delegation was visiting Europe to nullify those efforts, the accident cut short this year’s hunt for the area of Iles-de-la-Madeleine as hunters left the ice floes out of respect for their lost comrades.
In the comparatively warmer labyrinth of European Union, a delegation from across the Atlantic, led by Loyola Sullivan, Canada’s Ambassador of Fisheries Conservation, argued the case of an “age-old” traditional way of life for seal hunters and the right to selfdetermination.
Echoing the sentiment, Paul Okalik, Premier, Government of Nunavut, told New Europe, “We are here to tell the truth and explain our story. When people open their eyes and ears they will understand that we are doing what every human on earth is doing - earning a living, eating and surviving.”
The visit came in the light of earlier reports that European Commissioner Stavros Dimas was considering a ban on seal products within the EU in the coming months.
Reiterating her earlier comments, Barbara Helfferich, the spokeswoman for commissioner Dimas, told journalists last week, “We are concerned about inhumane hunting of seals. We support sustainable hunting. We are preparing a paper, a communication that takes account of these issues and we hope to have something ready before June or before the summer to be correct.”
Asked to comment on the fact that the Canadian seal hunt is already on and the commission report is not expected before the summer, Helfferich said, “The season for Canada is on. It is limited to particular Canadian quota. Whatever we are doing, we are doing in general, we are not targeting any particular country. So I can not comment on season or not season.”
Confirming the visit of the Canadian delegation she said, “I have nothing more to say on the issue. Mr. Sullivan has been visiting the commission, the cabinet of Commissioner Dimas.”
Lamenting the negative publicity by vested interests, Sullivan told New Europe, “The bad publicity caused by misinformation is of great concern to us. Our job is to correct this misinformation to ensure the public have all the faces on the issue. Unfortunately, this misinformation is driven by various groups who use the seal harvest as a main method of raising money.”
Earlier at a press conference, Sullivan hinted at retaliatory action by Canada within the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) in case the EU considers ban on seal products, “I believe strongly that there shouldn’t be restrictions on access to markets... The European Commission has an obligation to live up to their commitments. We hope they exercise that right.”
Reflecting on the position of the Canadian government which is taking these EU trade action threats “very seriously,” Sullivan said, “(The Canadian government will defend) the legitimate sustainable, humane, economic activity for some of the most disadvantaged people in our country.”
Challenging the information being churned out by various sources about Canadian seal hunting, Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador said, “We have to keep doing what we’re doing now to ensure that the correct information gets out. We challenge those engaged in the debate to be responsible with regards to their research and to ensure that the information they are putting forward is correct.”
Earlier, one reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt had told New Europe, “The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.”
Although Greenland, Norway, Russia and even the EU member state Finland take to seal hunting, it is only Canada’s annual culling of seals which attracts ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups.
Canadian culling on EU radar
Brussels mulls action on “inhumane” Canadian seal killings
The European Union is contemplating action against the alleged culling of young seals by Canada, the spokeswoman for Stavros Dimas, European environmental commissioner told journalists last week.
Answering questions during the regular midday press conference, Barbara Helfferich, the spokeswoman, confirmed that Commissioner Dimas is, “looking into the matter of the inhumane killing of seals and we are preparing a text to be presented in the next few months to address this issue.” “We hope to have it before the summer,” Helfferich added.
Welcoming the expected trade sanctions move by the commission, Neil Parish, Conservative MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Animal Welfare intergroup, said: “As the culling season gets underway, the time has come for the Commission to take action. The slaughter of seals in Canada, including seals that are just a few weeks old, is barbaric and the EU should not condone it.”
While announcing the total allowable catch (TAC) and other management measure for the 2008 Atlantic seal hunt, Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, said in early March, “The seal hunt is an economic mainstay for numerous rural communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North.”
The minister stressed, “The government has taken further steps to ensure the hunt continues to be conducted in a humane manner, adopting recommendations of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group.”
Reacting to Canadian claims, MEP Parish said, “The methods used - cudgeling with a ‘hakapik’ or shooting - have too often not killed the seal outright and I am not satisfied with Canadian assertions that seals are not still being skinned alive.
“Many countries in Europe and around the world have introduced or are considering a ban on these imports, but I believe it would require the entire EU to implement a single ban to ensure the demand for seal skins dries up,” MEP added.
One reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt told New Europe, “Canada’s seal hunt is humane, sustainable and responsible. We are aware that the (European) Commission is looking at what steps to take regarding the seal hunt. The Government of Canada is committed to the sustainable management of its renewable resources.
“The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.
“In addition to the existing regulatory requirements to properly strike and check for unconsciousness, a third step, that of bleeding to ensure death, will be required as a condition of licence for 2008.”
Canada’s annual culling of seals attracts the ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups. With Belgium and the Netherlands already banning the import of seal-derived products while Germany and Austria are considering closing their markets too, the European Union is now toying with the idea of a ban which the industry pundits predict will devastate the seal product industry as onethird of the products head for the EU.
The European Union is contemplating action against the alleged culling of young seals by Canada, the spokeswoman for Stavros Dimas, European environmental commissioner told journalists last week.
Answering questions during the regular midday press conference, Barbara Helfferich, the spokeswoman, confirmed that Commissioner Dimas is, “looking into the matter of the inhumane killing of seals and we are preparing a text to be presented in the next few months to address this issue.” “We hope to have it before the summer,” Helfferich added.
Welcoming the expected trade sanctions move by the commission, Neil Parish, Conservative MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Animal Welfare intergroup, said: “As the culling season gets underway, the time has come for the Commission to take action. The slaughter of seals in Canada, including seals that are just a few weeks old, is barbaric and the EU should not condone it.”
While announcing the total allowable catch (TAC) and other management measure for the 2008 Atlantic seal hunt, Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, said in early March, “The seal hunt is an economic mainstay for numerous rural communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North.”
The minister stressed, “The government has taken further steps to ensure the hunt continues to be conducted in a humane manner, adopting recommendations of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group.”
Reacting to Canadian claims, MEP Parish said, “The methods used - cudgeling with a ‘hakapik’ or shooting - have too often not killed the seal outright and I am not satisfied with Canadian assertions that seals are not still being skinned alive.
“Many countries in Europe and around the world have introduced or are considering a ban on these imports, but I believe it would require the entire EU to implement a single ban to ensure the demand for seal skins dries up,” MEP added.
One reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt told New Europe, “Canada’s seal hunt is humane, sustainable and responsible. We are aware that the (European) Commission is looking at what steps to take regarding the seal hunt. The Government of Canada is committed to the sustainable management of its renewable resources.
“The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.
“In addition to the existing regulatory requirements to properly strike and check for unconsciousness, a third step, that of bleeding to ensure death, will be required as a condition of licence for 2008.”
Canada’s annual culling of seals attracts the ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups. With Belgium and the Netherlands already banning the import of seal-derived products while Germany and Austria are considering closing their markets too, the European Union is now toying with the idea of a ban which the industry pundits predict will devastate the seal product industry as onethird of the products head for the EU.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Climate change action gets into fast lane
“Better late than never.” With that the participants heaved a sigh of relief in Valencia, Spain after a marathon 24- hour session ending November 16 as the compromise 20-page Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) document emerged to act as a manual on how to tackle global warming and set the tone for a crucial United Nations (UN) climate conference next month in Bali, Indonesia.
Officially unveiling the report in Valencia, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pointed out that the IPCC report states that climate change is “unequivocal” and may bring “abrupt and irreversible” impacts.
Fresh from a fact-finding mission to Antarctica and South America, Ban cautioned, “All humanity must assume responsibility for these treasures,” saying, “I come to you humbled after seeing some of the most precious treasures of our planet threatened by humanity’s own hand.” “Let us recognise that the effects of climate change affect us all, and that they have become so severe and so sweeping that only urgent global action will do. We are all in this together - we must work together,” Ban added.
In Brussels, the seat of the European Union, the untiring champion of the fight against climate change, it was hailed as “vital reading for decision makers,” by top EU officials. European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement, “The Fourth Assessment Report is a milestone in our scientific knowledge about climate change and the grave threats global warming poses to the planet.”
Dimas said, “The report’s findings amount to a stark warning that the world must act fast to slash greenhouse gas emissions if we are to prevent climate change from reaching devastating levels. The good news is that it also shows that deep emission cuts are both technologically feasible and economically affordable.”
He added: “This synthesis report is vital reading for decisionmakers everywhere ahead of the UN climate change conference in Bali starting in just over two weeks. It fully supports the EU policy that global warming must be limited to no more than 2ºC above the pre-industrial temperature. The global community must respond to this scientific call for action by agreeing in Bali to launch negotiations on a comprehensive and ambitious new global climate agreement.
Efforts will be needed by all major emitters if we are to have a chance of controlling climate change before it is too late.”
Reiterating its commitment, the European Commission listed the key elements of EU action:- To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, that will be strengthened to 30 percent reduction in the context of a fair global agreement - A firm target to increase the use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020- A broad range of measures to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2020- Further evolution and strengthening of the EU’s emissions trading scheme;- An ambitious limit to CO2 emissions from cars- A framework for introducing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in power production- Development of an effective adaptation strategy
Moreover, the United States, which has earned the wrath of climate change campaigners for not doing enough, did participate along with nearly 150 countries to nod the compromise report through after five days of haggling.
Rajendra Pachauri, an Indian scientist who heads IPCC warned that even if global emissions are curbed and the present levels of CO2 in the atmosphere stayed at the same level there would be a rise between 0.4 and 1.4 metres of the present day sea-levels simply because water expands as it warms.
“If you add to this the melting of some of the ice bodies on Earth, this gives a picture of the kinds of issue we are likely to face,” Pachauri said in post-publication comments on the report.
The synthesis report forms the final part of “Climate Change 2007”, the IPCC’s report. The other three parts were released earlier this year and covered the physical science of climate change; impacts, adaptation and vulnerability and ways to mitigate climate change.
The IPCC was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize jointly with former US Vice-President Al Gore “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change”.
Officially unveiling the report in Valencia, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pointed out that the IPCC report states that climate change is “unequivocal” and may bring “abrupt and irreversible” impacts.
Fresh from a fact-finding mission to Antarctica and South America, Ban cautioned, “All humanity must assume responsibility for these treasures,” saying, “I come to you humbled after seeing some of the most precious treasures of our planet threatened by humanity’s own hand.” “Let us recognise that the effects of climate change affect us all, and that they have become so severe and so sweeping that only urgent global action will do. We are all in this together - we must work together,” Ban added.
In Brussels, the seat of the European Union, the untiring champion of the fight against climate change, it was hailed as “vital reading for decision makers,” by top EU officials. European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement, “The Fourth Assessment Report is a milestone in our scientific knowledge about climate change and the grave threats global warming poses to the planet.”
Dimas said, “The report’s findings amount to a stark warning that the world must act fast to slash greenhouse gas emissions if we are to prevent climate change from reaching devastating levels. The good news is that it also shows that deep emission cuts are both technologically feasible and economically affordable.”
He added: “This synthesis report is vital reading for decisionmakers everywhere ahead of the UN climate change conference in Bali starting in just over two weeks. It fully supports the EU policy that global warming must be limited to no more than 2ºC above the pre-industrial temperature. The global community must respond to this scientific call for action by agreeing in Bali to launch negotiations on a comprehensive and ambitious new global climate agreement.
Efforts will be needed by all major emitters if we are to have a chance of controlling climate change before it is too late.”
Reiterating its commitment, the European Commission listed the key elements of EU action:- To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, that will be strengthened to 30 percent reduction in the context of a fair global agreement - A firm target to increase the use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020- A broad range of measures to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2020- Further evolution and strengthening of the EU’s emissions trading scheme;- An ambitious limit to CO2 emissions from cars- A framework for introducing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in power production- Development of an effective adaptation strategy
Moreover, the United States, which has earned the wrath of climate change campaigners for not doing enough, did participate along with nearly 150 countries to nod the compromise report through after five days of haggling.
Rajendra Pachauri, an Indian scientist who heads IPCC warned that even if global emissions are curbed and the present levels of CO2 in the atmosphere stayed at the same level there would be a rise between 0.4 and 1.4 metres of the present day sea-levels simply because water expands as it warms.
“If you add to this the melting of some of the ice bodies on Earth, this gives a picture of the kinds of issue we are likely to face,” Pachauri said in post-publication comments on the report.
The synthesis report forms the final part of “Climate Change 2007”, the IPCC’s report. The other three parts were released earlier this year and covered the physical science of climate change; impacts, adaptation and vulnerability and ways to mitigate climate change.
The IPCC was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize jointly with former US Vice-President Al Gore “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
