EU seeks bigger emission cuts

The European Union expects to go further in reducing greenhouse gases from its current aim of a 20% reduction to 30% in the Copenhagen talks in December, if other countries agree to co-operate.

Joining together to promote EU Green Days, from left: Kobchai Chirathivat, chief executive of Central Pattana; EU ambassador David Lipman; Pornthep Techapaiboon, deputy governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration; Swedish ambassador Lennart Linner; Busaba Chirathivat, senior vice-president for Central Retail Corporation; and Shumit Kapoon, general manager of Nokia (Thailand). SOMCHAI POOMLARD

The EU decided in 2007 to reduce greenhouse gases by 20% of 1990 levels by 2020, which includes a 20% reduction in energy consumption through improved energy efficiency and an increase in renewable energy's share of power generation from around 9% to 20%.

"The EU has recognised that it will take the leadership on the issue of climate change. The EU has prepared to go even further than 20%," said Lennart Linner, the Swedish ambassador to Thailand.

The EU is committed to scaling up its own emissions reduction for 2020 from 20% to 30% if other developed and developing countries agree in Copenhagen to take their fair share of the collective effort needed.

"Negotiations don't occur by chance," he said. "The scientific evaluation of a much more serious situation of climate change is out there. It has been confirmed to be much more serious than we anticipated. Therefore we have to renew a new system after Kyoto Protocol that's not easy to achieve."

Areewattana Tummakird, the director of the office of National Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, considers the new aim achievable.

"I think it's possible [to achieve an agreement of a 30% emission cut] because they used a study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which gave possible figures of 25-40%," she said. "Their aim of 30% is within that range. The EU has almost reached their target."

The IPCC's task is to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity.

With the final stages of international climate change negotiations at hand, the EU is organising 11 days of climate change events in Bangkok to promote discussion and public awareness of climate change, with a hope to see more collaboration from all parties.

"Climate change is being dealt with in international negotiations; but not only that. Also there are things that individuals can do, certain things like changing light bulbs for instance," said David Lipman, the Ambassador of the European Commission to Thailand.

The event is being held at the same time as the Bangkok Climate Change Talks from Sept 28 to Oct 9 at the United Nations centre. It is the last major set of global negotiations before the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December, where government representatives are expected to agree on a post-Kyoto agreement for post-2012.

A final pre-Copenhagen session will occur in Barcelona from Nov 2 to 6.

Thailand, meanwhile, opposes the creation of new commitments to replace the existing rules on greenhouse gas emission reductions and does not want to set targets, despite calls from industrialised countries for developing nations to make such commitments.

"EU Green Days", to be held from Oct 1 to 11, will focus on young people and include various seminars, exhibitions with artists and children's workshops related to climate change.

The focus will be on EU climate change policies, living with climate change and "climate-proofing" economies.

Relate Search: European Union expects, EU Green Days, Areewattana Tummakird, National Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change