News 2005

New car emissions standards proposed
21 December 2005

Reducing the emissions of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles is the objective of a draft package, which the European Commission has proposed today. The proposal, commonly referred to as the 'Euro 5' standards, will reduce particulate emissions from diesel cars by 80 per cent and nitrogen oxides by 20 per cent.
   Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said: "This proposal will bring about marked improvements in air quality. As a consequence of Euro 5 particulate filters on new diesel cars will have to be introduced. At the same time, the new emission standards will sustain the competitiveness of our car industry."
   The environmentalist organizations in Brussels were disappointed however. The proposed standards are much weaker than those in the United States.
   Jos Dings of European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) said: "It's sad and ironic that Europe will now reserve its cleanest cars for a foreign market while at the same time Member States are struggling to achieve their EU air quality targets."
   The proposal will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. The new Euro 5 limits will enter into force by mid 2008 at the earliest.
Web links:
- European Commission, press release 21 December 2005.
- T&E press release, 21 December 2005.

Seven US States launch regional greenhouse gas initiative
20 December 2005
The governors of seven Northeast states announced their agreement today on the first mandatory cap-and-trade program to control carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. Called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the programme will reduce carbon dioxide through a mandatory emissions cap on the electricity generating sector, coupled with a market-based trading programme to achieve the lowest possible compliance costs.
Web link:
Environment News Service, 20 December 2005.

Mixed feelings after climate conference

14 December 2005

Many environmental groups were pleased with the outcomes from the climate conference in Montreal (see below). But others were more sceptical, saying the meeting had done nothing more than agree to keep talking. They point out that the US signed up for talks only after a clause was added stipulating that the dialogue “will not open any negotiations leading to new commitments”. For many, this made the dialogue pointless.

Web link:

New Scientist, 12 December 2005

Kyoto protocol stronger after Montreal meeting
12 December 2005

The Climate Change Conference in Montreal closed with the adoption of more than 40 decisions that will strengthen global efforts to fight climate change. The process got underway towards defining future commitments beyond the first commitment period, ending in 2012. The delegates agreed to start urgent negotiations on a new round of emission reduction targets for the second commitment period, which runs from 2013 to 2017.
   Environmental groups were pleased with the outcome. "The Kyoto Protocol is stronger today than it was two weeks ago," said Bill Hare, Greenpeace International Climate Policy Advisor in Montreal.
Web links:
- Climate Action Network Europe
- Environment News Service (ENS), 11 December 2005
- United Nations Climate Change Secretariat

European Commission proposes biomass action plan
8 December 2005

The European Commission adopted a biomass action plan on 7 December 2005. The main objective of the plan is to double the use of bio-energy sources (wood, wastes, agricultural crops) in the EU's energy mix by 2010. Currently, the EU meets about 4 per cent of its energy needs from biomass. The plan outlines 31 measures to promote biomass in heating and cooling, electricity production and transport (biofuels).
Web link:
European Commission press release 7 December 2005

Fifty-year failure of aviation industry to improve fuel efficiency
7 December 2005
Today's commercial passenger planes are no more fuel-efficient than their equivalents of fifty years ago and aviation industry claims of a 70-per-cent improvement in fuel-efficiency are false.

  These are the main conclusions of a report by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) published today by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) and released on this year's environment-themed International Civil Aviation Day.
Web link:
The full report can be downloaded from the T&E website

Economic gains in emission reductions
5 December 2005

California's strict environmental laws saved consumers and businesses US$56 billion through gains in efficiency since the first major oil price spike in the 1970s, according to the study "No Reason to Wait" released by Stanford University.

  The California example is one of many in the study that shows that it pays to invest in reducing pollution.

Web links:
- Planet Ark (Reuters) 5 December 2005
- The study No Reason to Wait (the state of California)

EU looks to fill the gap to its target by using Kyoto Mechanisms
1 December 2005

If every EU country sticks to its plans to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and uses the Kyoto mechanisms the EU 15 can go beyond its Kyoto targets, says a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

  In 2003, the EU 15 Member States were just over one fifth of the way to meeting their 2010 Kyoto target of an 8 per cent decrease on the 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The report also shows that projected emission cuts on their own will not be enough. The carbon that is being released will need to be offset in other ways, such as through the Kyoto mechanisms.

Web link:
European Environment Agency, press release 1 dec 2005.

Health experts deplore unambitious proposals

30 November 2005

In a letter to EU environment ministers, the European Public Health Alliance Environment Network (EEN) has expressed its serious concern about the "severe lack of ambition" of the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution.

EEN and the other co-signatories of the letter hope for some strong reactions against its lamentable content. "If changes are not demanded, we predict there will be very little benefit to either health or air quality for European citizens," says Genon Jensen, EEN Director.

The letter describes how European legislation associated with the 6th Enivironmental Action Programme required the Commission to produce a strategy "that considers strict air quality standards to reduce the health burden".

However, the current proposal is likely to result in more lax limits than exist currently - and therefore do nothing to improve air quality in Europe.

"It attempts to reduce existing limit values, ignores recommended standards based on European-funded research on the health effects, and offers no effective and legally-binding mechanism to ensure reduced exposure," according to Ms Jensen.

Web link:

European Public Health Alliance Environment Network

Key emissions data published by the Climate Convention
17 November 2005

"Key GHG data" is the first publication from the UN Climate Convention covering all greehouse gas data officially submitted under the Convention. In the publication the Convention's secretariat confirms that developed countries, taken as a group, have achieved sizable emission reductions. But it warns that further efforts are required to sustain these reductions and to cut the emissions further.

  According to the report, Lithuania had made the deepest cuts at 66.2 per cent below 1990 levels in 2003, followed by Latvia on 58.5 per cent and Estonia on 50.8 per cent.

  At the other end of the scale, Spain was furthest above Kyoto target with a 41.7 per cent rise in emissions above 1990 in 2003, followed by Monaco at 37.8 per cent, Portugal 36.7 per cent, Greece 25.8 and Ireland 25.6 per cent. The United States was 13.3 per cent over 1990 levels.
Web link:
- Key GHG data, UN FCCC website

Blair a threat to environment
15 November 2005

The British prime minister Tony Blair, who has made global warming one of the key themes of Britain's G8 presidency, was accused by environmental activists on Monday of failing to tackle the issue, despite many pledges of tough action.

Web links:

- Planet Ark (Reuters) 15 November 2005
- Greenpeace UK

Renewable energy investment at record high
10 November 2005

Global investment in renewable energy hit a record $30 billion last year, accounting for 20-25 percent of all investment in the power industry, and with solar power the fastest-growing energy technology, a Worldwatch Institute report released on Sunday said.

Web links:
- Planet Ark (Reuters) 10 november 2005
- WorldWatch Institute

Public consultation on EU Common Transport Policy review
4 November 2005
The Commission will carry out this year the mid-term review of the White Paper on "the European transport policy for 2010".
   To supplement its own analysis, the Commission invites everyone to send comments, concerns, wishes, observations and standpoints, and in particular comments on ten questions. Deadline for submissions is 31 December 2005.
Web link:
European Commission DG TREN

Mediterranean to suffer most in Europe
28 October 2005
Mediterranean and mountain regions of Europe will be hardest hit by the changes set to affect the continent's natural resources this century.
   That is the conclusion of a Europe-wide assessment in the journal Science, that found climate change posed the most significant threat.
Web links:

- Climate study shows Europe risks (BBC)

- Science magazine

EU has power to freeze climate change
24 October 2005
The European Union can cut a third of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 through energy efficiency and renewable energies, as well as with a strong emissions trading system, according to a new study presented today by WWF.
   The report highlights the concrete steps that the EU should take to cut CO2 emissions by 33 per cent by 2020, even with a moratorium on nuclear energy.
  "With ambitious policies, a strong emission trading system and mandatory targets for energy efficiency and renewable energies, Europe will become an efficient, secure and environmentally safe place to live and to do business," says Oliver Rapf, Head of the WWF European Climate and Energy Unit.
Web link:
- Press release, WWF European policy office

Second European Climate Change Programme launched
24 October 2005
The Second European Climate Change Programme, launched by the Commission at a conference in Brussels today, will provide a new policy framework for EU climate change policy, with a scope and perspective beyond 2012. It will analyse what has been achieved under the first programme and look for new options to reduce emissions, particularly in the fields of geological carbon capture and storage, passenger road transport, aviation, and adaptation to those effects of climate change that are unavoidable.
   Five working groups on specific issues have been formed under the new programme. Their task will be to produce policy recommendations by next year, which will support the Commission in developing and proposing new policies and measures.
   The first European Climate Change Programme was launched in 2000 to identify policies and measures to help the EU reach its target under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Web links:
- Speech by environment commissioner Stavros Dimas
- The stakeholder conference

New marine strategy presented
24 October 2005
The European Commission today proposed a strategy to protect Europe's marine environment. The Thematic Strategy on the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment aims to ensure that all EU marine waters are environmentally healthy by 2021. This is the second Thematic Strategy that the Commission adopts following the provisions of the 6th Environmental Action programme.
   A group of environmental groups criticised the proposals as "desperately inadequate". The groups regret that it contains no binding commitment to protect Europe's seas and called on the other EU institutions to strengthen them.
Web links:
- Press release from the Commission
- The full strategy (as well as some background material)
- NGO comments (WWF website)

2005 one of the hottest years globally
October 17, 2005
2005 will be the second or third warmest year on record globally, according to Met Office, Britain's national weather service. After 1998, the four hottest years globally were the last four years, according to Met Office data going back to 1861. The second hottest year was 2002, followed by 2003, 2004 and 2001.
   Last Thursday Washington Post reported that climatologists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies calculated that 2005 is on track to be the hottest year on record.

Web links:
- 2005 Globally 2nd or 3rd Hottest Year - Met Office. Planet Ark, 17 October 2005.
- Mercury rising towards hottest year on record. Climate Ark / Washington Post, 13 October 2005.

New reports on ship emissions' abatement

11 October 2005
Five consultancy reports have been finalized under the European Commission's ship emissions contract.

  The reports find that there is a wide range of abatement options at sea which can be very cost-effective compared to reducing emissions from land-based industry, and that using economic instruments rather than regulation to promote these techniques could further improve cost-effectiveness for shipping.
   Another report, published in September, illustrates the magnitude of ship emissions compared to land emissions for EU member states, using different methodologies.
Web link:
European Commission, DG Environment

Dirty Thirty - Europe's dirtiest power stations
4 October 2005

A new ranking by WWF - Dirty Thirty - reveals Europe's worst climate polluting power stations. It ranks the least efficient among the biggest carbon dioxide emitters and finds that 27 of the 30 dirtiest power plants are coal-fired, with Agios Dimitrios in Greece, Frimmersdorf in Germany, and Aboño in Spain heading the table.
Web link:
WWF news release 4 October 2005.

Half of European energy could be renewable
30 September 2005

Europe can phase out nuclear power and, at the same time, reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide by 30 per cent by 2020, according to a new study by Greenpeace. It shows that half of Europe's energy demand could switch to renewable energy sources and emissions of carbon dioxide could be reduced by nearly 75 per cent by 2050. It also shows that, if the EU fails to reform its energy sector however, emissions will increase by almost 50 per cent by 2050.
Web link:
Greenpeace European Unit

Special report on carbon dioxide capture and storage

27 September 2005
A new survey by 100 experts said carbon dioxide can be filtered from chimneys of plants burning fossil fuels then piped and stored in disused mines or oilfields - but at a high cost. Electricity prices could typically rise by 25-80 per cent if power plant operators adopted the technology, according to the report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
   The environmental organization WWF said the report raised more questions than answers and urged governments to stick to pledges to cut carbon dioxide emissions with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Web links:
- Burying CO2 May Curb Global Warming, But Cost High. Planet Ark, 27 September 2005.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Commission proposes clean air strategy
21 September 2005

The European Commission today proposed a strategy for achieving improvements in air quality across Europe. While covering all major air pollutants, the strategy pays special attention to particulates and ground-level ozone pollution because these pose the greatest danger to human health.
   It is estimated that the strategy will deliver health benefits worth at least 42 billion euro per year through fewer premature deaths, less sickness, fewer hospital admissions, improved labour productivity etc. This is more than five times higher than the cost of implementing the strategy, which is estimated at around 7.1 billion euro per annum, or about 0.05% of EU-25 GDP in 2020.
   The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is very disappointed that the strategy does not go far enough in improving Europe's air quality.
  "The Commission's own analysis has shown that each year some 350.000 people die prematurely due to exposure to fine particles alone. In addition, millions of people suffer from respiratory illnesses. A legally binding requirement to make real reductions on particles emissions would have been the only right answer. Instead, the Commission decided to postpone such target setting for many years and make the Directive into a toothless tiger", says Kerstin Meyer, air pollution policy officer at the EEB.

  Furthermore, the air quality directive proposal introduces the option of giving a five-year derogation to countries unable to meet the existing limit values for coarse particles (PM10). "In most cases Member States have just not done enough and have not started early enough to meet the existing limits", says Meyer. "Granting derogations simply rewards laggards".
Web links:

- European Commission

- EEB press release

Stronger hurricanes becoming more numerous

19 September 2005
Were New Orleans and coastal Mississippi victims of global warming? Until recently, most scientists would have answered no. Now, however, a connection is emerging between warming oceans and severe tropical cyclones. In the 16 September issue of Science, meteorologists report a striking 80-per-cent increase worldwide in the abundance of the most powerful tropical cyclones during the past 35 years. At the same time, the tropical oceans have been warming, driven, most researchers agree, by rising greenhouse gases.
Web link:
Is Katrina a Harbinger of Still More Powerful Hurricanes? Science, Vol 309, Issue 5742, 1807, 16 September 2005.

Acid News 3, September 2005
16 September 2005
The latest issue is now available online. Among the headlines: Editorial: Get on with it! Car emissions - Euro 5. Battle over environment. EU greenhouse gas emissions. Aviation. Energy efficiency green paper. Climate threat increasingly clear. European emissions of SO2 and NOx. US PM2.5 standards. Fact sheet: Renewable energy in the European Union.
Read more>>

Air pollution continues to threaten public health in Europe
7 September 2005
The air pollution and health research and information programme Apheis (Air Pollution and Health: A European Information System) yesterday released the latest findings in its ongoing assessment of the impact of particulate air pollution on health in 26 cities in 12 European countries.
   The new evidence provided by the third phase of the Apheis programme confirmed the finding of Apheis-2 that air pollution continues to pose a significant threat to public health in urban environments in Europe.
   Apheis also reports on information needs of policy makers and how to reach them effectively and efficiently.
Web links:
- Apheis

New fuel standards proposed
24 August 2005

In the first reform of the US federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards since they were enacted in 1975 the Bush administration has proposed a new fuel efficiency program for light trucks.

  Mini-vans, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles all are considered light trucks under the CAFE program, and make up half of the vehicles on US roads today. The reformed CAFE creates six categories for light trucks based on size, each with its own fuel economy target.
   The proposal was called "feeble" and "paltry to the point of irrelevance" by REP America, the grassroots organization of Republicans for environmental protection. Joan Claybrook, president of the campaign group Public Citizen, said the Bush administration has adopted "the ostrich strategy."
Web links:
- Fuel Economy Standard Proposed for Light Trucks Called "Feeble". ENS, 24 August 2005.
- CAFE, US Department of Transport

Directive on sulphur in marine fuel into force

11 August 2005

The directive on sulphur in marine fuel entered into force today. Its first provisions, including the Baltic Sea and passenger vessel 1.5 per cent fuel sulphur limit, will apply from 11 August 2006.

  Its full name is Directive 2005/33 of the European Parliament and Council modifying Directive 1999/32 as regards the sulphur content of marine fuel.

Web links:

- The directive on sulphur in marine fuel (2005/33/EC) (pdf)

- Agreement on new directive. Acid News No. 2, June 2005.

All world's glaciers could melt

5 August 2005
Global warming may result in the complete disappearance of glaciers from entire mountain ranges, according to the latest update of a report issued once every five years. The World Glacier Monitoring Service warns that the greenhouse effect is leading to processes "without precedent in the history of the Earth."
  "The last five-year period of the 20th century has been characterized by an overall tendency of continuous if not accelerated glacier melting," says the World Glacier Monitoring Service 1995-2000 edition of the Fluctuations of Glaciers report, complied with the support of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Web links:
- All World's Glaciers Could Melt, Latest Scientific Data Indicates. ENS, 5 August 2005.
- World Glacier Monitoring Service.

Urban Environment -- make your voice heard
29 July 2005
The European Commission is seeking input from the public on a new European strategy to improve the urban environment. The consultation will run until 21 September and the strategy is due to be proposed by the Commission in December 2005.
Web links:
- The questionnaire (European Commission)
- The thematic strategy on the urban environment (European Commission)

New partnership to address climate change

28 July 2005
Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and United States have founded a new partnership - the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate - to address energy security, climate change and air pollution issues. The six countries combined represent more than half of the world's economy, population and energy use, and produce half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
   Announcing their partnership at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual ministerial meetings in Vientaine, the six countries issued a joint Vision Statement that pledges to "develop, deploy and transfer existing and emerging clean technology."
   The US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said the new initiative is "a complement, not an alternative," to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. But unlike the 152-nation Kyoto pact, the six-country accord sets no binding goals for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.
Web links:
- Asia-Pacific Countries Join US, Australia to Control Climate. Environment News Service, 28 July 2005.
- Climate pact: For good or bad? BBC news 28 July 2005.
- Press release and vision statement, Prime Minister of Australia.

Commission to move on with environmental policies
20 July 2005
EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas fought off demands for a freeze on new environmental policy making during a special debate of the European Commission today. The Commission is now set to release thematic strategies on seven environmental themes between September and December. The strategy on air pollution, meant to be published in July, will be released in September.
  Mr Dimas and his supporters stressed the existence of strong public support throughout Europe for proactive EU environmental policies. The commissioner also argued that the strategies would contribute to long-term economic sustainability, not undermine it.
  The Commission predicts the air pollution strategy will cost 12 billion euros a year from 2020, though environment commissioner Dimas says the benefits, including illness prevention, would be four times that amount.
Web links:
- Dimas regains the initiative on EU strategies. Environment Daily, 20 July 2005 (subscription needed).
- EU Commission to Press Ahead on Environment. Planet Ark, 20 July 2005.
- Press release from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) 20 July 2005.

New limits on air pollution from cars proposed

18 July 2005
The European Commission have now produced a preliminary draft proposal for Euro 5. The objective of the draft is to lay down harmonised rules on the construction of motor vehicles with regard to their emissions of atmospheric pollutants.
   Stakeholders are invited to provide comments on the issues covered by the draft proposal before a formal proposal at the end of this year. The submissions should be sent by 9 September 2005.
Web links:
- The stakeholder consultation (DG Enterprise)
- EU Targets Sport Vehicles in Car Emissions Rules (Planet Ark, 18 July 2005).

G8 fails to set climate action agenda
7 July 2005
The G8 Summit bowed to pressure from the Bush administration and failed to deliver a strong statement on the urgency of the problem of climate change and the need to cut emissions now.
Web link:

WWF news release

Hungry to get hungrier

7 July 2005
The poorest countries where food is scarcest will find it increasingly difficult to feed themselves as global warming exacerbates desertification and drought, according to an expert at FAO, the United Nation food agency.

Web link:

Planet Ark, 7 July 2005.

Environmental NGOs upset about lack of leadership

5 July 2005
Two environmental thematic strategies due to be presented by the European Commission in July - air quality and marine protection - have been officially removed from the EU agenda and postponed until an unspecified date.

Web links:

- NGO letter to the Commission 1 July 2005 (pdf).

- Planet Ark, 5 July 2005.

Europe can reach a low emissions future

29 June 2005
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has identified pathways to achieve Europe's contribution to a global climate change target. The EU could feasibly commit to a 40-per-cent cut in emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 under a successor to the Kyoto protocol, according to the agency.
   Lower EU emissions would come from "achievable technologies" such as improved eco-efficiency. The bulk of the reductions would have to come from the energy sector, for example switching to low carbon fuels, and an increase in the use of wind and biomass energy.

Web link:

EEA Press release 29 June 2005.

EU greenhouse gas emissions up in 2003

21 June 2005

Emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases from the European Union have increased in 2003, after having fallen in 2002. Emissions in the 15 old member states (EU-15) increased by 53 million tonnes (1.3%) between 2002 and 2003.Total EU-25 emissions increased by 1.5%, says the latest annual report on greenhouse gas emissions from the European Environment Agency.

Web link:

EEA press release 21 June 2005.

EEB warns Barroso not to bend to pressure from UNICE

14 June 2005
The EEB, Europe 's largest federation of environmental citizens organisations, has sent a letter to the President of the Commission, urging him to take a strong stance against exaggerated claims from the industry group, UNICE. The Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe recently wrote to Commissioner Barroso in an attempt to undermine the Commission's future clean air policy.
   The Commission is currently preparing a long-term plan to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia and fine particles across the EU. This Thematic Strategy on air pollution will be the first out of seven strategies which will be published this year in order to address the key environmental challenges of the European Union.

Web link:

EEB press release 14 June 2005.

High levels of ground-level ozone

8 June 2005

In summer 2004, the levels of ground-level ozone were high in southern Europe with widespread exceedances of the information threshold value (180 µg/m3, as laid down in the EU ozone directive), according to a recent report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
   Also the directive's long-term objective to protect human health, 120 µg/m3 of ozone concentration over 8 hours, was extensively exceeded in the EU and other European countries.  The target value to protect human health was also exceeded in southern and part of central Europe. The highest levels were reported from Italy and Spain, with a maximum ozone level of 417 µg/m3.

Web link:

Air pollution by ozone in Europe in 2004 (EEA).

German state must develop particle action plans

6 June 2005
An administrative court in Stuttgart has ruled that the state of Baden-Württemberg had not done enough to meet the EU limits for particles (PM10) in the air.

  Backed by the environmentalist organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), the plaintiffs - two individual citizens - presented evidence showing that Stuttgart and three other cities in the state had not drawn up action plans to reduce particle pollution, in spite of the fact that the limit values (plus the margin of tolerance) were first exceeded in 2002. The region has argued that it was only obliged to introduce an action plan after the limit values became mandatory in 2005. This argument was however rejected by the court, which obliged the state to develop action plans.

  DUH welcomed the judgement, saying it had implications for other states and cities in breach of the new EU limits. It urged them to impose restrictions on diesel cars and trucks that are not fitted with particle filters.

Web link:

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (press release, in German)

Acid News 2, June 2005
1 June 2005
The latest issue is now available online. Among the headlines: Editorial: Clean air - when and how? Sulphur in marine oils. Thematic stategy to come. Dirty kilowatts. Trading and NAPs. EU climate targets. Kilometre taxes. Global emissions. En-route charges for ships. Cleaner shipping.
Read more>>

Hidden subsidies to car use
20 May 2005
Every year local governments in Germany spend some 15 billion euro on their car traffic, according to estimates made in a study for the network ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability. Only between 15 and 45 per cent of these costs are recovered by, for example, parking fees and contributions from regional and national government. The remainder, 100-150 euro for every citizen, is paid from the local authority budget. Results from other European cities indicate comparable subsidies. In the Austrian City of Graz, the net spending for car transport is double the amount contributed to their public transport system.

Web link: ICLEI study

Voluntary levy on airline tickets

17 May 2005

EU finance ministers agreed on Saturday to a voluntary levy on airline tickets to fund development aid. The aviation industry opposed the proposals and strongly criticised the agreement in media coverage over the weekend.

  Jos Dings, Director of the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) said:"British Airways calls this extremely modest proposal, 'absurd' and 'illogical' but the same can be said of the aviation industry's current tax privileges. The sector pays no fuel taxes, there is no value added tax (VAT) on international tickets, and both aircraft manufacturers and airlines have received billions of Euros of direct and indirect aid."

Web link: T&E press release, 17 May 2005.

Pledge to invest in clean energy

11 May 2005
US and British institutional investors who collectively manage over $3 trillion in assets pledged on Tuesday to invest $1 billion in clean energy companies in an effort to reduce risks posed by climate change.

Web link: Planet Ark, 11 May 2005

Environmental associations most trusted

2 May 2005

For Europeans, a healthy environment is as important to their quality of life as the state of the economy and social factors, according to a new Eurobarometer survey.
  The four outstanding environmental issues that citizens worry most about are water pollution (47%), man-made disasters such as oil spills and industrial accidents (46%), climate change and air pollution (both at 45%).
   When it comes to sources of environmental information, citizens most trust environmental associations (42%), followed by scientists (32%) and television (27%).

Web link: Eurobarometer

Feasible and cost-effective methods for cleaner ships

29 April 2005

There are feasible and cost-effective methods for substantially reducing air emissions from ships, according to a new report produced by a coalition of environmental organizations, that has been submitted to the July meeting of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee.

Web links:

- Download the NGO submission (pdf, 260 kB)

- IMO MARPOL Convention (this website)

Kilometre taxes for heavy vehicles within the EU

22 April 2005

European Union transport ministers agreed on yesterday to a proposal that would allow member states to charge tolls on more trucks and roads throughout the Union.
Web links:
- Reuters
- European Federation for Transport and Environment

German lignite use must be reduced by 40% by 2020
18 April 2005
Lignite power generation is one of the most inefficient and ecologically damaging forms of energy production in Europe. A report released today by the Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain describes the environmental, social, and economic detriments of lignite use in Germany.

  Because of its deep concern over these findings, the Secretariat appeals to the German Lignite Industry Association and its members to present – by the end of this year – a detailed plan and strategy for eliminating 40 per cent of the greenhouse-gas emissions from lignite power generation by 2020 (referred to 1990 levels).

Web links:

Download the report (pdf, 666 kB)

Press release from the Secretariat (pdf, 125 kB)

Ships will keep polluting the air

13 April 2005
Today the European Parliament adopted a second reading agreement on the sulphur content of marine fuels. The new directive will limit the sulphur content of marine fuels to 1.5% for ships in the North and the Baltic Sea as well as for ferries everywhere in the EU. However, the new directive will only reduce shipping emissions by less than 10% even though a reduction of 80% was initially demanded by the European Parliament.

Web link: Press release from EEB

Excessive particle pollution
adds weight to call for stricter car standards

13 April 2005

More evidence is emerging of cities exceeding pollution limits that are meant to last for a year under EU clean air legislation that came into effect in January.

   A proposal for more stringent emission standards for cars (Euro 5) is expected to be published in July, just before the Commission’s summer break.

Web link: T&E Bulletin 137, April 2005 (pdf, 84 kB)

Renewable heating and cooling

7 April 2005

A declaration by more than 40 organisations from 19 different member states calls for an EU Directive which is setting an overall EU target of 25 per cent renewable heating and cooling. The law must also include differentiated, legally binding national targets, it says.

Web link: European Renewable Energy Council

Air quality standards exceeded
1 April 2005
Several European cities are struggling to meet new EU air quality laws for particles (PM10) that came into force at the start of the year. Several cities in Italy and two in Germany have already breached the limits.

  The Commission won't start talking about treaty breaches straight away, according to Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen. "We'll look at the experience of the first year and then we'll have to decide," he said. But at the same time he dismissed calls for a relaxation of the limits and said he would introduce further cuts.

Web link: Planet Ark

Unsustainable Resource Use
30 March 2005
Human activities are rapidly changing the Earth's natural environment and threaten the planet's capacity to support future generations. The stark warning is the conclusion of more than 1,300 scientists from 95 countries, who found that 60 per cent of the ecological systems that support life on Earth are being degraded or used unsustainably.

Web links:

- The Millenium Assessment
- Environment News Service

EU spring summit stands strong on climate change
23 March 2005
At their meeting 22-23 March the EU heads of state backed this month's environment council calls to aim for a 15-30 per cent reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases from industrialised countries by 2020. The environment ministers' second target of a 60-80 per cent cut by 2050 was however dropped; various sources claim because of pressure from Germany and Austria. The heads of state also endorsed - for the first time - the goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels.

  "Despite the recent rejection of greenhouse gas reduction targets by former climate champions Germany and Austria, and the continued sabotage efforts of Italy, the EU has stood strong and sent a clear political signal that it will push for further action. Much more is urgently needed, but this is a good start," commented Mahi Sideridou, EU Climate Policy Director at Greenpeace European Unit.

  "The EU now has to speedily implement policies and measures to not (only) fully comply with Kyoto targets, but also to comply with this longer term objective of 2020," said Stephan Singer, climate change expert at environmental group WWF.

Web link: Climate Action Network Europe

Spain, Germany and India are leading markets for windpower
21 March 2005

8.321 MW of new windpower capacity was added worldwide in the year 2004. The leader in terms of new installation is Spain with 2061 MW, thus for the first time taking over the number one position from Germany (2020 MW). Germany, however, remains the leading country in terms of overall capacity representing one third of the global wind energy installations. India has established itself as the third biggest wind energy market worldwide in terms of new installations (875 MW). India is expected within soon to get ahead of the former pioneer country Denmark - with an increase of only 7 MW - and become number four also in terms of total capacity.

Web link: World Wind Energy Association

World solar cell production grew by 62 per cent in 2004
21 March 2005

World solar photovoltaic market installations reached 927 MW in 2004, representing growth of 62 per cent over 2003. Once again, Germany led the pack with a startling 152 per cent growth. Germany has taken over market leadership from Japan. In combination, the Japanese, German and United States markets accounted for 78 per cent of the world market.

Web link: Solarbuzz

Aviation and climate change: Make your voice heard!
18 March 2005

The European Commission is seeking the views of EU citizens on possible actions to curb emissions of greenhouse gases from aircraft. An Internet consultation will run until 6 May 2005. The results will feed into a strategy planned for this summer focusing on how economic measures could be used to reduce the climate change impact of aviation.

Web link: The questionnaire

Environment Committee stands strong on ship fuels

15 March 2005

In a vote today the Environment committee of the European Parliament endorsed the report of Finnish MEP Ms Hassi, introducing stricter manadory limits for sulphur in marine fuels.

Her report would extend the scope of the directive to also apply in the Mediterranean Sea. It would furthermore introduce a second phase lowering the overal sulphur content of marine fuels to 0.5 per cent.

It thereby reinstates the most important elements of the Parliament’s first reading position, which were not accepted by the Commission or the Council.

“This shows that Parliament stands strong on cleaning up dirty ship fuel”, comments Kerstin Meyer, Air Pollution Policy Officer at EEB, the European Environmental Bureau.

“Sulphur in ship fuel needs to be reduced much further to protect people and sensitive ecosystems. At the moment an average ship pollutes 150 to 300 times more per tonne kilometer than a truck. Without additional abatement measures, within ten years air pollution from ships will surpass the total from all land-based emission sources in the EU.”

- The rapporteur's proposal (Acid News 1/05)

- European Environmental Bureau (external link)

- EP Environment Committee (external link)

Water crisis looms as Himalayan glaciers retreat
14 March 2005
Himalayan glaciers are among the fastest retreating glaciers globally due to the effects of global warming, and this will eventually result in water shortages for hundreds of millions of people who rely on glacier-dependent rivers in China, India and Nepal, warns the global conservation organization WWF in a new report.

"The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers will first increase the volume of water in rivers causing widespread flooding," said Jennifer Morgan, Director of WWF's Global Climate Change Programme. "But in a few decades this situation will change and the water level in rivers will decline, meaning massive economic and environmental problems for people in Western China, Nepal and Northern India."

Web link: Water crisis looms as Himalayan glaciers retreat (WWF)

Environment ministers want tough targets
11 March 2005
At their meeting in Brussels yesterday the European Union environment ministers said in a statement that developed nations ought to aim for cuts "in the order of 15-30 per cent by 2020 and 60-80 per cent by 2050, compared to the levels envisaged in the Kyoto Protocol". But the ministers did not set targets for the EU itself after that period, speaking instead of developed nations in general.

  In February, the European Commission said in a strategy paper that it considered it "premature" to set targets now for lowering emissions after 2012. Instead the Commission wanted to focus on bringing the United States and some developing nations to the negotiating table.

  The EU Heads of State will discuss "medium and longer-term emission reduction strategies" at their the Spring Council meeting on 22-23 March.

Web links:
- The Commission's proposal (Acid News 1/05)
- Planet Ark/Reuters, 11 March 2005

Edinburgh voters reject city congestion charge
10 March 2005
The citizens of Edinburgh have rejected a scheme for the Scottish capital to charge motorists entering the city centre on weekdays. The proposed charge was modest - €3 per day, compared with €7 in London which is soon to rise to €11.50 - but the rejection was emphatic. With a voter turnout of 61.8 per cent in last month's postal ballot, 74 per cent voted to reject the plans, and the city council leader Donald Anderson, who had wanted a "yes" vote, admitted the scheme was "dead and buried for Edinburgh".

Web link: T&E Bulletin, March 2005.

Acid News 1, March 2005
8 March 2005
The latest issue is now available online. Among the headlines: It is profitable to reduce sulphur in marine fuels. Parliament’s rapporteur calls for stricter sulphur limits. New scenarios for future emissions. Preliminary analysis shows that cleaner air brings huge benefits. Lignite policy threatens German climate strategies. CO2 from cars – compulsory legislation to come?
Read more>>

The Gothenburg protocol enters into force on 17 May
1 March 2005
On 16 February 2005, the conditions for the entry into force of the Gothenburg Protocol were met. Accordingly, it will come into force on 17 May (the 90th day following the date on which the sixteenth instrument of ratification was deposited).
  The sixteenth country to ratify was Portugal. The other fifteen parties to the protocol are the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United States, and the European Community.
  The protocol was signed in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1999 and sets country-by-country emission ceilings for four air pollutants – sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia – to be achieved by 2010.

More about the Gothenburg Protocol (this website)
Web link: The LRTAP Convention

New scenarios for future emissions
28 February 2005
The EU’s Clean Air For Europe programme (CAFE) is progressing in its analysis for the forthcoming thematic strategy on air pollution that is to be presented by the Commission in May. As part of the programme, various scenarios for future emissions and their environmental impacts are being investigated.

Read more >>

Parliament’s rapporteur calls for stricter sulphur limits
28 February 2005
In the run-up to the European Parliament’s second reading of the proposal to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide from ships, its rapporteur Satu Hassi is urging much more far-reaching measures than those proposed by the Commission and agreed in the Council’s common position. Whereas the Commission’s proposal would reduce emissions by no more than 10 per cent from their level in 2000, the measures suggested by the rapporteur would raise that figure to about 75 per cent.

Read more >>

It is profitable to reduce sulphur in marine fuels
22 February 2005
A lowering of the sulphur content of marine heavy fuel oil to 0.5 per cent would reduce SO2 emissions from international shipping around Europe by more than three quarters by 2010. The benefits of such a measure clearly outweigh the costs, according to a new study from the Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain. By 2020, the annual net benefits would amount to between 6.6 and 10.4 billion euro.

Read more >>

Kyoto Protocol into force
16 February 2005
The Kyoto Protocol finally came into force today, ninety days after Russian ratification in November. The protocol is a small but important first step in international actions to combat climate change. The entry into force was welcomed by many governments and other interested parties around the world.
Web links:
- UN Convention on Climate Change
- European Environment Agency

Alarm bells ring louder over climate change
4 February 2005
The risks of global warming are "more serious than previously thought", concluded a major international scientific symposium on climate change on Thursday. The three-day conference was held at the UK Met Office's Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Exeter.
Web links:
- Alarm bells ring louder over climate change. Summary in New Scientist, 4 February 2005
- Conference website.

Coal-fired stations top emission league
18 November 2004
Topping the list of the greatest emitters of sulphur into the atmosphere in Europe are two large coal-fired power stations in Bulgaria and Spain. Together these two plants let out nearly 650 thousand tonnes of sulphur dioxide a year – as much as the combined total from all the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

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Air pollution may cause lifelong lung deficits
18 November 2004
A new study provides the most definitive evidence yet that routine exposure to dirty air during childhood actually harms lung development, leading to a permanently reduced ability to breathe.

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