news.independent.co.uk/environment/article335198.ece

Europeans missing their Kyoto targets

By Barrie Clement
Published: 27 December 2005

Britain and Sweden are the only European countries honouring their Kyoto commitments to cut greenhouse gasses, according to a think-tank report.

Although the US is portrayed as the ecological villain for refusing to sign up to the agreement, 10 out of the 15 European Union signatories - including Ireland, Italy and Spain - will miss their targets without urgent action, the Institute for Public Policy Research found.

France, Greece and Germany are given "amber warnings" and will only achieve the objectives if planned policies are successfully carried out.

Tony Grayling, the institute's associate director, said the world was near the point of no return on climate change. "We have little time left to start reducing global greenhouse gas emissions before irreparable damage is done. It is vital that EU countries keep their promises to cut pollution. They must take action now to get back on the Kyoto track, including energy saving and investment in renewable energy."

EU countries would have to adopt tougher limits on emissions from power stations and heavy industry in the new year as part of the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, he said.

Recent figures show carbon dioxide emissions increasing in 13 out of the 15 countries, including Britain, the report says.

The British Government was condemned by its own guru on global warming earlier this month for failing to meet its targets on climate change.

Ministers set themselves the target of reducing CO2 emissions by 12.5 per cent from their 1990 levels by 2012, but Britain's production of the gas has increased by 9 per cent since 1999.

In his first report as head of the Commission for Sustainable Development, Sir Jonathon Porritt gave colour-coded ratings for the Government's performance on climate change. CO2 emissions were given red , as were the performances on reducing waste, lowering water consumption and achieving sustainable development. All other targets were given amber lights. Ministers failed to achieve a green light for any if their objectives and the Government's own Whitehall departments were criticised in the report for wasting energy and water.

If we dont take care of greenhouse gasses now, there may be very little dry land left when the ice caps melt. We all have to do our part in taking care of the planet.

I'd get on a high horse and moralize themn to death, but too busy laughing

Quoted: If we dont take care of greenhouse gasses now, there may be very little dry land left when the ice caps melt. We all have to do our part in taking care of the planet.

"Okay everybody, ready?....KUMBAYA MY LOOOOOOOORD, KUMBAYAAAAAAAAAAA......."



One belch from Mt. St. Helen's puts up more NO2, SO2, CO2 than what man can do in a decade.....but of course, its still Bush's fault.

I think if all of those countries actually met the CO2 goals, they would be in a recession.

Quoted: If we dont take care of greenhouse gasses now, there may be very little dry land left when the ice caps melt. We all have to do our part in taking care of the planet.

Well, look at it this way, if global temperatures keep rising like the scientists say they've been, in 100 years it'll be another one or two degrees warmer everywhere.

Here is the BBC's version of this story:
Note the thinly vailed "it's Bush's fault."
=========================================================
BBC NEWS
Europe 'behind on Kyoto pledges'
The UK is almost alone in Europe in honouring Kyoto pledges to cut greenhouse gases, a think-tank claims.

Ten of 15 European Union signatories will miss the targets without urgent action, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found.

The countries include Ireland, Italy and Spain.

France, Greece and Germany are given an "amber warning" and will not reach targets unless they put planned policies into action, the IPPR said.

'Little time left'

Only Sweden would join the UK in meeting their commitments, the think-tank's study found.

IPPR associate director Tony Grayling said: "We are nearing the point of no return on climate change.

"We have very little time left to start reducing global greenhouse gas emissions before irreparable damage is done.

"It is vital that EU countries keep their promises to cut pollution," he said.

European countries needed to take action, including energy saving and investing in renewable energy.

"In the new year, EU countries will need to adopt tougher limits on emissions from power stations and heavy industry, in the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme," Mr Grayling said.

Under Kyoto commitments, the European signatories are supposed to cut their emissions to 8% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012.

The Kyoto commitments have been undermined, critics say, because the US - the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases - has refused to sign up to the treaty.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/4561576.stm

Published: 2005/12/26 23:59:56 GMT

© BBC MMV

From the BBC:

Trade can 'export' CO2 emissions

Cheers, yet concern for climate

(a bit of USA/Geo. Bush bashing)
Climate change: The big emitters

Sounds like Europe alright.
They produce such a massive volume of EU regulations that they can't keep up. Britain passes them all into law and trys to enforce them like good little European citizens, but the continental countries do what they like, and sneer at Britain in the process. If they can't even honour their own laws and regulations, how could anyone ever expect them to honour international agreements.

BTW, the only reason they could even come close to making greenhouse targets is because alot of their power generation comes from 'evil' nuclear power- 75% in France's case.

Quoted: France, Greece and Germany are given "amber warnings" and will only achieve the objectives if planned policies are successfully carried out.

Ha Ha!

Quoted: If we dont take care of greenhouse gasses now, there may be very little dry land left when the ice caps melt. We all have to do our part in taking care of the planet.

If you're actually serious:

Get out a a glass measuring cup that holds one or two cups.

Throw in a handful of ice. Then fill it with water until the water line is at the cup or two cup mark. The ice should be floating now.

Wait for the ice to melt.

Get back to me with where the water line is at after the ice melts.

Suck my kyoto ass!

Not a big deal for them, they just pay for emissions credits and life goes on. No more than a tax.

Quoted: Although the US is portrayed as the ecological villain for refusing to sign up to the agreement, 10 out of the 15 European Union signatories - including Ireland, Italy and Spain - will miss their targets without urgent action, the Institute for Public Policy Research found.

I really didn't think they'd meet them. And as long as "developing nations" are exempt from the requirements, it only means that signatory countries that are able to will continue to shift their manufacturing bases to those exempted "developing  countries" rather than really do anything meaningful at home as far as reducing emissions.

Quoted: BTW, the only reason they could even come close to making greenhouse targets is because alot of their power generation comes from 'evil' nuclear power- 75% in France's case.

That and high unemployment.  Idle factories = less emissions.

Actually, The French people have been doing their part to lower emisions.

They voted down the Euro constiution, A huge pile of Bull shit.

By 2006 the EU was supposed to ban the sale of electronics goods that contained lead, mercury, cadmium or chromium.

This seems like a great idea, because these are nasty pollutants--but the practical problem is that it's basically not possible to manufacture electronics without them. Substitutes generally cause problems in manufacturing or performance, or are far more expensive. In some circumstances, there are no known workable substitutes. Apparently they just assumed that "industry" would find solutions given a couple years.

Gov't, military and communications systems computers have already been declared exempt from the ban, because the people in charge of those interests already knew this isn't going to be possible, at all. And everything else will too, because you can't produce consumer electronics without this stuff.
~

I think the EU could decrease its output of greenhouse gasses by about 50% simply by shutting the F up about the US.

Quoted: If we dont take care of greenhouse gasses now, there may be very little dry land left when the ice caps melt. We all have to do our part in taking care of the planet.

Quoted: Get out a a glass measuring cup that holds one or two cups. Throw in a handful of ice. Then fill it with water until the water line is at the cup or two cup mark. The ice should be floating now. Wait for the ice to melt. Get back to me with where the water line is at after the ice melts.

Your example is flawed in that it applies only to ice at the Arctic, which is, of course, floating atop the Arctic Ocean. However, the ice covering Greenland, Iceland, and the Antarctic all lay atop land masses, so if they were to melt, the ocean levels would rise.

Now, all that said, I don't buy the BS that man is responsible for all this, nor that a 1-degree increase in average temperature will dom the planet.

Socialist/Environmentalist alarmist crap.

Quoted: I think the EU could decrease its output of greenhouse gasses by about 50% simply by shutting the F up about the US.

I find that mildly amusing....



  - georgestrings

Enivironazis aren't going to be happy until we are living back in the stone age.

Quoted: If we dont take care of greenhouse gasses now, there may be very little dry land left when the ice caps melt. We all have to do our part in taking care of the planet.

That's frickin hilarious.  You owe me a new keyboard because I just spewed coffee all over it after reading your joke.

Got any more?  Maybe about a lady walks into a bar carrying apoodle or something like that?