In an interview with a Polish newspaper Lewandowsk said that:

“We already have overambitious agreements on CO2 emission reduction. There is a notion that the thesis that coal energy is the main cause of global warming is highly questionable. Moreover, more and more often there is a question mark put over the whole [issue of] global warming as such.”

He also expressed doubts about EU’s future climate goal saying the CO2 reduction targets “are too ambitious for the Polish economy” and that “a quick jump away from coal” would for Poland “be a disaster”. And this was no misquote from the Polish newspaper. A spokesman for Lewandowski even confirmed the accuracy of the statements later to the EU observer:

“His overall line is that it would be impossible for Poland to shift away from coal overnight. But he also expressed his doubts over climate change, in a personal capacity,” Patrizio Fiorilli told this website.

Environmental organizations and political groups are afraid that Lewandowsk’s science and climate skepticism will affect the drafting of the €130 budget that will form EU’s political course of action and structure between 2014 and 2020. But the Polish climate skepticism comes as no surprise. Poland helped block strong European leadership on climate during the Cop14 climate summit in 2008. And it’s an even less surprise considering the fact that Poland relies heavily on coal, around of 90%, for its electricity generation.

Ruth Davis, chief policy adviser at Greenpeace UK, said: “It’s terrifying that the man in charge of Europe’s budget is someone you might expect to see in Sarah Palin’s Republican party.

“He has a huge influence over all of our economic futures and yet not only does he deny the overwhelming evidence of climate change, but he’s also opposing measures that leading businesses say would drive green growth and create millions of new jobs in Europe’s clean industries.”

The environmental organization WWF also expressed their worry about the climate change denying budget chief:

“It comes as a shock, especially following the commission president’s recent statements. So much for collegiality,” said Tony Long, director of the WWF’s Brussels office. “That degree of climate change scepticism is now rare in Europe, and even rarer among politician’s of Lewandowski’s seniority.”

“One can’t have much faith in the commission’s budget proposals if one of the chief architects admits in a private capacity that he has doubts over global warming.”

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso shows no sign of worry though. Saying that “the effects of climate change are – quite literally – all around us” and that the EU will stay it’s course on climate change. But one can only imagine how embarrassed Barroso must be from Lewandowsk’s anti-science statements.

Photo credit: rockcohen

Leaders from the European Union (EU) have just agreed on a new watered-down climate deal to tackle global warming. The actual emissions cuts could amount to as little as 4% by 2020.

Yesterday UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in Poznan that “the world is watching us. The next generation is counting on us. We must not fail.” He also called for the EU to show the way and leadership on the climate crisis for other countries. Unfortunately it seems the short-sighted “leaders” of Europe ignored him. Instead of 30% emission cuts by 2020 the EU leaders only agreed on cuts by 20% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels.

But the actual emission cuts could end up being as little as 4% by 2020, environmental groups warned. That is because of special exemptions for dirty industries in Europe as well as allowing cheap emission cuts overseas to be counted to the EU total. The latter has been heavily pushed by the new Swedish right-wing government who has called for as much as 88% of the EU emission cuts to be allowed to do overseas in development countries.

“EU leaders will probably trumpet the deal on climate change as a great success, but in reality this is a big failure in EU ambition,” said Delia Villagrasa, Senior Advisor to WWF.

“Basically, Europe just decided to off-set about two thirds of its own greenhouse gas emissions, to have consumers pay for emissions permits that polluting companies get for free and to avoid supporting poorer countries in the fight to climate change. This is not quite the third industrial revolution we were expecting,

“The result of this race to the bottom is that Europe will reduce its own greenhouses gas emissions significantly less than the proclaimed 20% target by 2020.”

EU leaders on the other hand have said the new climate deal is “historic” and “ambitious”.

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called the plans “the most ambitious proposals anywhere in the world”, saying that “Europe has today passed its credibility test. We mean business when we talk about climate.”

And French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a press conference in Brussels that “this is historic” and that it “was difficult up to the last minute” to reach an agreement on the deal.

“A flagship E.U. policy now has no pilot, a mutinous crew and numerous holes in its fuselage,” said Sanjeev Kumar of the environment group WWF.

“This is a dark day for European climate policy. European heads of state and government have reneged on their promises and turned their backs on global efforts to fight climate change,” Climate Action Network Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace, Oxfam and WWF said in a joint statement today.

“Angela Merkel, Silvio Berlusconi, Donald Tusk and Nicolas Sarkozy should be ashamed. They have chosen the private profits of polluting industry over the will of European citizens, the future of their children and the plight of millions of people around the world. The Parliament can and should amend the worst parts of today’s deal.”

The people have spoken. And they have clearly chosen Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America. Hopefully the election outcome will result in USA moving away from its current destructive climate and environmental politics and policies. Hopefully well-needed change will come to USA, and the world.

People, leaders and organisations from around the world hurry to congratulate Obama and his running mate Biden while hoping that this will be a new “fresh” chapter in U.S. relations and politics.

The current French Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Union said in a statement that “the European Union is ready to work closely with Mr Barack Obama and his administration” to together combat “the challenges of the 21st century” in “a spirit of mutual trust and dialogue”:

“Because the world aspires to peace and stability, the European Union sees in this election the promise of a reinforced transatlantic partnership, a partnership that serves the universally shared values that inspire the people of Europe and the United States, a partnership that will enable us to face together the challenges of the 21st century.

The European Union is ready to work closely with Mr Barack Obama and his administration and to make concrete proposals at the appropriate time, in a spirit of mutual trust and dialogue.”

The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said that “we need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world.”

“This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America.

I want to assure US President elect Obama of the support of the European Commission and of my personal support in forging this renewed commitment to face together the many challenges ahead of us.

We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world. I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world.”

In a statement John Passacantando, Greenpeace USA Executive Director, congratulated not just Obama but also “the American people for backing a candidate who stood up for real change in a time of deep economic trouble”:

“We also congratulate the American people for backing a candidate who stood up for real change in a time of deep economic trouble. Among the most daunting issues America faces today is the crisis of global warming, and the American people backed the candidate who ran on a clear platform of taking the bold, science-based action needed to solve that crisis.”

The Greenpeace’s Making Waves blog congratulates Obama, but also wants to remind him about the promises he made during the election campaign:

“We’re non-partisan here at Greenpeace. We don’t have any permanent allies or enemies. We support policies, not politicians. We endorse deeds, not words. So even while a lot of us (in our personal capacity as human beings and not Greenpeace employees) are jumping up and down this morning with glee, we want to take a moment to remind you of the promises you made in your election campaign.”

[…]

“When the oil company sharks and the coal industry crooks and the nuclear energy shisters begin to gather at your door, please remember what you promised us in this election. Please remember the reasons you gave us to hope.”

Brent Blackwelder, President, Friends of the Earth Action, said that energy was a key issue in the election and that “Barack Obama and the new Congress can help the United States fulfill its potential to again be a world leader in the provision of clean energy”:

“Our country is in a tough spot. Our outdated energy infrastructure and reliance on fossil fuels are damaging the economy, endangering our national security, and threatening the planet with an unprecedented environmental and human catastrophe in the form of climate disruption. But these challenges also provide an opportunity to move forward, as wind, solar, and efficiency projects can happen quickly. Barack Obama and the new Congress can help the United States fulfill its potential to again be a world leader in the provision of clean energy. It’s our job to hold their feet to the fire and ensure they do so.”

Henrik Hasselknippe, the global head of carbon analysis for Point Carbon, a research company based in Norway, said that Obama will be a blessing for the clean energy businesses and that the international climate talks have “been on hold” and just waited “for a new U.S. administration to take office”:

“You could say that international climate talks have been on hold for the past few years with everyone in reality just waiting for a new U.S. administration to take office,” said Henrik Hasselknippe, the global head of carbon analysis for Point Carbon, a research company based in Oslo, Norway.

Mr. Hasselknippe said the victory for Mr. Obama was a boon for clean energy businesses because of an expectation that “it would be easier to get international negotiations going with a Democrat in the White House.” He noted that Mr. Obama had proposed more ambitious cuts in greenhouse gas emissions for U.S. industry than John McCain, the Republican candidate who conceded defeat.”

Kate Hampton, head of policy at Climate Change Capital, a British investment company with $1.6bn under management, welcomed the election outcome while saying that Bush “had held back the growth of green business”:

“We cannot overstate how divisive the Bush administration was, how far behind the United States now is in the transition to the local carbon economy and how high expectations are now,” said Ms. Hampton. Mr. Obama “is a supporter of cap and trade and will push for more auctioning of carbon allowances, which is a good thing as it gives the US income to spend on other low carbon economy measures.”

Ms. Hampton also said she hoped that Obama would recognize that a “transition to the new economy will create jobs and profit” and build an “approach which is consistent with what the governments of the UK and France have been saying.”

Ricken Patel, from Avaaz.org, said in an email that “after 8 long years of Bush” there would finally be “a fresh start”:

“Obama’s victory brings a chance for the US to finally join with the world community to take on pressing challenges on climate change, human rights, and peace.

After years, even decades of distrust, let’s seize this moment of unity, reconciliation and hope to send a message of warm congratulations and invitation to work together to the new President and the American people.”

Green Blog recently endorsed Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Because when it comes to environmental, energy and climate issues, only Obama stood out as the strong and aggressive candidate with a detailed and comprehensive plan to tackle these problems. Now we need to put pressure on Obama and his administration so that the promises he have made will not be forgotten.

photo credit: rockcohen

The governments of Italy and Poland are, as I write this, trying to weaken the already weak climate goals that the European Union agreed on in January. Italy and Poland blames their will to inaction against climate change because of the current financial crisis. They argue that they can’t afford to implement tough emissions targets on their industrial sector.

This is a fine example of ignorance from these right-wing governments in Europe. The climate package will not worsen the economy for Europe. Instead the plan will create millions of new green jobs, reduce our fuel costs and avert a catastrophe beyond our wildest dreams.

During a summit Nicolas Sarkozy said that they will look for “solutions” for those European countries who have expressed concerns about the climate goals and their economy. “The climate package is so important that we cannot simply drop it, under the pretext of a financial crisis,” said Nicolas Sarkozy, who currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

The European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said that “we are not going to let up on the battle against climate change.”

The European Commissioner for energy policy, Andris Piebalgs, wrote on his blog that “this financial crisis should not be an excuse to delay even more our climate and energy package, to promote renewables or to boost our energy efficiency. On the contrary, it has shown us that remedies are always worse than prevention. Therefore we cannot fail to implement the necessary measures to change from a fossil fuel based economy to a low carbon one, because this time citizens will not forgive us.”

Fine words indeed, but that doesn’t mean there is a reason to sit back and hope for the best. That is why Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF and the Climate Action Network Europe needs your help to let the European Environment Ministers know that “we’re all watching them.”

“The EU package of climate measures MEPs debated last week is under threat again — and we need your help before Monday evening (yes, Monday 20 October). Environment Ministers will negotiate the details of the European package on Monday, and we want them to know that we’re all watching them. Please visit the timetolead.eu website again, and write to your government minister. (Yes, even if you’ve been there before. Last time you wrote to your MEPs — this time it’s Environment Ministers.)”

Greenpeace says that “the next days are crucial if we are to get a strong package of measures agreed by December”, and that “we must keep the pressure on Europe’s leaders now”.

Tell your ministers it’s time to lead!

Yesterday the European Union agreed on a plan of action against climate change. The aim is a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from the European countries. But the aim could be increased to 30% if other countries follow suite.

To be able to reach the 20% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by year 2020 the European Commission have outlined four measures that will help them achieve the goal:

• An improved emissions trading system (ETS) is needed. The new improved trading system will cover more emissions and allow companies in one EU country to buy allowances in any other.
• Emission reduction targets for industries not covered by the ETS, so that everyone can contribute. Examples on industries not covered are buildings, transport, waste etc.
• Legally binding targets will be introduced for increasing the share of renewable energy in every country. The different targets will reflect each countries individual potential.
• And finally new rules on carbon capture and storage and on environmental subsidies will be introduced throughout the EU.

The whole plan is expected to cost 3 euros a week for every citizen (60 billion euros a year). The European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says the cost is “manageable”.

Yesterday at the press conference where EU’s plan of action was presented, Jose Manuel Barroso said that:

Responding to the challenge of climate change is the ultimate political test for our generation. Our mission, indeed our duty, is to provide the right policy framework for transformation to an environment friendly European economy and to continue to lead the international action to protect our planet. Our package not only responds to this challenge, but holds the right answer to the challenge of energy security and is an opportunity that should create thousands of new businesses and millions of jobs in Europe. We must grasp that opportunity.

With this plan of action the EU is aiming to stopping the global temperatures to rise above 2 degrees. But is the plan enough? Many people think not.

Unfortunately a 20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions is not enough to stop climate change running out of control. If you listen to the scientists a 2 degree increase in global temperature is not enough to stop the worst effects of climate change. Only aiming for 20% cuts will take us to a 3 degrees increase in global temperatures where climate change will run out of control and there will be no turning back.

Last time the earth were 3 degrees hotter than it is today the North Pole and Greenland were ice free, trees were growing in Antarctic and the sea level was 25 metres higher than it is today.

According to CarbonEquity we should, “if we value biodiversity and human life”, instead aim for a 0,5 degree (320 ppm CO2e) target. In a recent paper, CarbonEquity explains why we should aim for 0,5 degrees and explains that it is possible with global and massive political actions.

Video: “Taking a head start to create a low carbon world economy”


Image and Video credit: European Communities.