EU Abandons Post-Kyoto CO2 Targets - Guardian

[hatrack]

The European Union yesterday abandoned its leading role in fighting climate change by refusing to set targets for reductions in greenhouse gases after the first stage of the Kyoto protocol in 2012.
The decision by the European commission, designed to put pressure on President Bush to sign up the US to Kyoto during his visit to Brussels on February 22, is a blow to Tony Blair's strategy of making climate change a priority of the UK's presidency of the G8 industrialised countries - and the EU in the second half of this year.

The issue was not discussed during yesterday's talks between senior EU members and US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice - with Stavros Dimas, the environment commissioner, being accused by green campaigners of dropping the EU's pace-setter role. Mr Dimas made plain the EU wanted the United States, China, Russia, India, Japan and Canada, which together account for 75% of emissions, to sign up for stronger commitments to fighting climate change before it showed its hand later this year. China has not signed up to Kyoto, which comes into force next week.

EDIT

Green MEPs urged the EU summit next month to set a target of cutting greenhouse gases by at least 30% by 2030 while WWF said this should be achieved by 2020, arguing that the impact would, according to the commission's own cost-benefit analysis, cut GDP by just 0.5-1.5% over 20 years. Mr Dimas said the 25-member EU's share of global emissions would fall to less than 10% over coming decades while developing countries would account for more than half, so even a 50% EU cut would not substantially affect climate change."

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1409449,00.html

[rfkrfk]

1. The story mentions aviation

Tax on jet fuel, for international flight,
is zero, by treaty.
Tax on jet fuel {US} for domestic flight,
is four cents per gallon.
Kinda sad, that airline management thinks that
people who push a lawn mower for a living, are undertaxed.

[phantom power]

2. I think this will backfire.

They're making the same blunder as the US Democrats. Bush will just cite this as "proof" that "Kyoto was flawed", and/or "nobody else cares about CO2 either".