EU 'on track' with Kyoto air quality targets

The EU is on target to deliver on its greenhouse gas reduction targets set under the Kyoto Protocol.

All 15 member states that adopted the protocol in 1997 are on track to meet the eight per cent emissions reduction target for 2008 to 2012.

The European Commission's projected figures are based on a combination of measures and policies already in place that will allow governments to meet their commitments.

Stavros Dimas, EU environment commissioner, said: "These projections further cement the EU's leadership in delivering on our international commitments to combat climate change."

He also pointed out that the EU was the first region in the world to not only implement processes to reduce emissions by 20 per cent but also to pledge further cuts of up to 30 per cent by 2020.

EU countries that were member states when the Kyoto Protocol was signed are legally obliged to reduce their emissions in the four years from 2008 by eight per cent over 1990 levels.

While there is no collective target for the current 27 EU members, ten of the twelve countries to join the European community between 2004 and 2007 have individual commitments under the agreement.

Posted by Joseph Hutton