Criticism for EU over climate change proposals
November 2009
The EU has been criticized for failing reveal the amount that each of its member states would provide to developing countries to help tackle climate change.
During a 2 day summit in Brussels at the end of October, EU leaders proposed awarding developing countries worth £44.7bn for the next decade.
Greenpeace’s EU climate policy director Joris den Blanken, commented ‘The EU failed to use this opportunity to put its money where its mouth is. But all is not lost: today twenty-seven of the world’s richest nations have backed global funding to tackle climate change in developing countries.
‘The Copenhagen train is still running, but the world desperately needs some climate leadership to stop the wheels from jumping off the track. Regardless of whether climate legislation is passed in the US ahead of Copenhagen, president Obama should step up and break the deadlock in negotiation,’ he added.
The European Parliament’s environment committee has urged developed countries to commit up to €100bn to aid developing countries tackle climate change.
President of the EU José Manuel Barroso said:
‘Regarding climate change, this was an important breakthrough, which brings new momentum. The European Council has fully endorsed the figures put forward some weeks ago by the Commission that by 2020, developing countries will need around €100bn a year to tackle climate change. The EU accepts to pay its fair share of this. International public support will need to be in the range of €22bn to €50bn a year by 2020,’ he added.
Michelle Williams from Artemis Solutions Group who specialise in the energy sector comments “The money the EU has pledged is a huge sum, but as always it will whether it will be delivered and how wisely it will be spent that will determine how history will judge this event”
