EU leaders reach new climate deal

BBC

European Union leaders have reached a deal on a package of measures to fight global warming, diplomats say.

The plan, agreed at a Brussels summit, sets out how 27 member-countries will cut carbon emissions by 20% by 2020.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the summit chairman, said something "quite historic" had happened in Brussels.

Earlier, environmental groups had reacted angrily to some of the EU draft proposals on emissions trading, calling them an "embarrassment."

Scientists say carbon dioxide emissions need to be cut by 25-40% by 2020 for there to be a reasonable chance of avoiding dangerous climate change.

The impact of the financial crisis is undermining the EU's long-term goal to build a new, low carbon economy.

BBC environmental analyst Roger Harrabin says the repercussions will make it much harder for the EU to achieve the 30% emissions cut it has promised if the rest of the world agrees to the new UN climate deal next year.

EU leaders also agreed an economic recovery package, and concessions to enable the Irish Republic to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

'Embarrassment'

EU leaders have been discussing the so-called "20/20/20" package to tackle climate change and concessions to limit its impact on struggling industries.

     

The measures, which also require approval by the European Parliament to become law, would commit the EU to cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels, and to raising renewable sources to 20% of total energy use.

At the same time, a UN climate conference has been taking place in Poznan, Poland, where former US presidential candidate John Kerry said the United States was set to lead the world towards a new climate deal.

Mr Kerry, who is representing President-elect Barack Obama, said the aim of agreeing a deal by next year had to remain on track.

Environmental groups at the Poznan conference have reacted angrily to what they see as unacceptable watering down in draft final EU texts.

"The deal would allow EU countries to buy so many credits outside Europe that they would only have to reduce their own emissions by about 4% by 2020 (from current levels)," said Stephan Singer from the European policy office of environmental group WWF.

"That is close to nothing, an embarrassment," he said.

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