10 Implementation of Community obligations
under the Kyoto Protocol
| (31131)
16037/09
+ ADD 1
COM(09) 630
| Commission Report on progress towards meeting the Kyoto objectives
|
| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 12 November 2009
|
| Deposited in Parliament | 18 November 2009
|
| Department | Energy and Climate Change
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 1 December 2009
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
|
Background
10.1 In order to meet the environmental challenges presented by
global warming, the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) requires industrialised countries to return
their emissions of greenhouse gases by the year 2000 to the levels
obtaining in 1990. However, in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol went on
to set legally binding emission targets for industrialised countries
to meet by 2012. The Community of 15 accordingly undertook to
reduce its 1990 emission levels by 8% by the period 2008-2012,
with reductions being apportioned between the individual Member
States under the Burden Sharing Agreement (see Annex I). Of the
new Member States, all but Cyprus and Malta have individual reduction
targets under the Protocol, equivalent to 8% (except for Hungary
and Poland, where the target is 6%).
The current document
10.2 This report provides a description of historical trends in,
and projections of, greenhouse gas emissions for the EU-15 and
EU-27, based on information provided by Member States, and is
the fourth of a series of annual reports required under Decision
280/2004/EC. Historical emissions are shown between 1990 and 2007
(the latest year for which data is now available), whilst projected
emissions are provided for 2010 (the midpoint of the first commitment
period) on the basis of those measures currently in place and
the additional policies and measures being introduced, as well
as the effect of the planned use of the Kyoto flexible mechanisms,[27]
and the projected use of carbon sinks (Land Use, Land Use Change
and Forestry (LULUCF)) allowed under the Kyoto Protocol.
10.3 The report notes that emissions in the EU-15
in 2007 decreased by 1.6% compared with 2006, and are now 5% below
base year emissions, despite an increase in GDP of 44% since 1990,
whilst, for the EU-27, emissions were 1.2% lower than in 2006,
and 12.5% lower than the base year. It says that the EU-15 is
now currently on course to meet, or over achieve, its Kyoto target,
assuming current and planned measures deliver as expected. Also,
with the possible exception of Austria, each of the Member States
concerned is on track to meet its individual Kyoto target, whilst
the ten EU-12 Member States with targets are all expected to meet
them.
10.4 The Commission also says that provisional data
for 2008 suggest that emissions from the EU-15 fell by a further
1.2%, taking them to 6.2% below base year levels, and that EU-27
emissions are estimated to have fallen by 1.1%, to stand 13.6%
below the base year. It adds that these figures reflect the effect
of the global economic recession.
10.5 The Commission goes on to note that the Community
has agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20%
by 2020, with separate targets for those sectors within and outside
the Emissions Trading Scheme, and with Member States in the latter
case being set targets according to relative levels of current
and projected per capita GDP, and left to define and implement
the necessary measures in those areas not covered by Community
provisions. It also says that there is a significant gap between
the 20% target and Member States' projections, requiring a much
steeper emissions reduction path after 2012, as compared with
1990-2012, and that this underlines the need to implement the
measures agreed in December 2008 (covering such areas as the share
of renewables in the energy mix, new rules on carbon capture and
storage, and on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from
cars).
The Government's view
10.6 In her Explanatory Memorandum of 1 December
2009, the Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate
Change (Joan Ruddock) says that the Community and the UK have
taken a leading role in calling for, and taking, action to tackle
climate change. She adds that in 2007 the UK's emissions of the
six greenhouse gases regulated under the Kyoto Protocol were 18.4%
below base year levels, and projected to decline further over
the period 2008-12, meaning that the UK has already over-achieved
its target of 12.5%. She adds that, as a result of the policies
and measures set out in the Climate Change Programme, the 2007
Energy White Paper and the 2009 Low Carbon Transition Plan, emissions
are projected to be about 23% below base-year levels in 2010 (taking
into account the effect of the Emissions Trading Scheme).
10.7 The Minister also observes that the Climate
Change Act 2008 establishes a long-term legally-binding target
for 2050 requiring a reduction of at least 80% in emissions of
the six Kyoto gases against 1990 base-year levels, and introduces
a system of carbon budgets capping emissions over five-year periods.
The carbon budget for the first budgetary period, which coincides
with the first Kyoto commitment period, has been set at a level
in excess of the UK's Kyoto commitment, and requires emission
reductions of just over 22% below 1990 levels. In addition, the
Climate Change Act requires the UK to calculate the difference
between its carbon budget and Kyoto commitment, and to ensure
that this is not available to offset emissions in the UK or overseas.
To comply with this, the Carbon Accounting Regulations 2009 requires
that a number of carbon units equal to the difference are put
beyond use by being cancelled, and that this will have the effect
of reducing the margin by which the EU-15 is forecast to over-deliver
the Kyoto target.
10.8 The Minister says that the UK welcomes the report
as a useful signpost of the progress being made, and that, whilst
all Member States should now meet their Kyoto targets, the Government
is concerned that the EU-15 should not rely on over-compliance
by some Member States. It, therefore, believes that the report
will sustain the pressure on Member States to ensure that the
necessary existing and planned measures deliver fully.
Conclusion
10.9 This report is the latest in a series of
assessments of the Community's progress towards meeting its Kyoto
targets, and provides some interesting and useful information.
As in previous years, we think it right in clearing the document
to report it to the House, noting that the Commission now estimates
that, provided current and planned measures deliver as expected,
the Community should meet those targets.
Annex: Member States' commitments
under the Community's Burden Sharing Agreement (percentage changes
for 2008-2012 relative to 1990 emission levels)
| Austria | -13
|
| Belgium | -7.5
|
| Denmark | -21
|
| Finland | 0
|
| France | 0
|
| Germany | -21
|
| Greece | +25
|
| Ireland | +13
|
| Italy | -6.5
|
| Luxembourg | -28
|
| Netherlands | -6
|
| Portugal | +27
|
| Spain | +15
|
| Sweden | +4
|
| UK | -12.5
|
27 Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM). Back
|
