permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6369171.stm>
Last Updated: Sunday, 18 February 2007, 20:44 GMT
'Now or never' for climate action
        
David Miliband (Image: PA)

Read the ministers' article
All EU nations must back proposals to cut harmful emissions by 30% by 2020 or risk jeopardising the global effort to 
curb climate change, warn ministers.

The call for unity among the 27-nation bloc was made by the UK Environment Secretary, David Miliband, and his Spanish 
and Slovenian counterparts.

Failure to act would threaten efforts to get nations such as the US and China 
to agree to cap emissions, they said.

EU environment ministers will discuss the proposals at a meeting on Tuesday.

In an article on the BBC News website, the ministers wrote: "We all know that 
the current Kyoto deal does not go far enough.

"If we are going to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change... then the EU must stand up and lead the debate on 
committing to further action."

Divided opinions

They called for all members to endorse the proposals outlined by the European 
Commission in its strategic energy review.

        
Chinese steel factory (Getty Images)
The window of opportunity is closing rapidly and a strong EU voice is 
necessary
David Miliband, Cristina Narbona and Janez Podobnik

Q&A: EU energy proposals

The review, published in January, called for an international commitment among developed nations to cut greenhouse gas 
emissions by 30% from 1990 levels by 2020.

Speaking at the time, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "I urge the rest of the developed world to follow our 
lead, match our reductions and accelerate progress towards an international agreement on the global emission reductions."

However, international negotiations on the shape of the framework to replace the current Kyoto Protocol, which expires 
in 2012, have struggled to reach a consensus.

A number of nations have voiced doubts about the effectiveness of national 
emission limits.

In their article, David Miliband, Cristina Narbona and Janez Podobnik said that the EU had a "responsibility to 
demonstrate its leadership and commitment".

"Without such commitment, the global agreement we all need will slide further away 
from our grasp," they warned.

"The window of opportunity is closing rapidly and a strong EU voice is necessary to provide the catalyst for UN 
discussions on taking effective action to cut emissions."

The proposals will be discussed by the Environment Council in Brussels on Tuesday, before being considered for adoption 
by EU political leaders at an energy summit in March.