Poles, Czechs to appeal EU ruling cutting carbon emissions
26 May 2007, 18:02 CET
http://www.eubusiness.com/news_live/1180123201.49
(WARSAW) - Poland and the Czech Republic said Friday they would appeal
an EU decision sharply cutting their carbon dioxide emission quotas
for 2008-2012 for industries with high energy consumption.
The two former members of the Soviet bloc, now both in the EU, decided
to follow their fellow EU member Slovakia, which announced in February
it would appeal to the European Court of Justice against the ruling.
Slovakia lodged a complaint against a European Commission decision to
cut its emissions allocation of carbon dioxide by a quarter between
2008 and 2012.
The commission is charged with approving national governments' bids
for carbon dioxide allocations as part of the EU's move to curb
emissions of one of the main gases held responsible for global climate
change.
In negotiations with the commission, Poland had sought an emission
ceiling of 284.6 million tonnes but the commission cut this back by
26.7 percent to 208.5 million tonnes.
The Czech allocation was reduced by 14.8 percent to 86.8 million
tonnes.
The allocations affect industries such as metallurgy, oil refining and
power stations which have a high energy consumption and are
responsible for nearly half of EU carbon dioxide emissions.
Polish Environment Minister Jan Szyszko told journalists Friday the
base year for the commission's calculations had been 2005, which had
been a hot year when the amount of energy consumed in Poland had
dropped.
"If another base year had been chosen, a colder year than 2005, our
emission rights would grow to more than 250 million tonnes which would
be satisfactory to us," he explained.
He added that Poland's predicted average annual growth had been 4.7,
whereas it was already now more than seven percent.
Czech Industry Minister Martin Riman said he was convinced the
commission, due to its complicated calculation methods and also
because of inaccurate statistics, had done a disservice to his
country.
He claimed the commission had broadly undervalued estimates for growth
of the Czech gross domestic product during 2009-2010.
Giving its decisions on Poland and the Czech Republic in March, the
commission said the two countries' plans were not compatible with EU
commitments to reduce greenhouse gases, nor with the forecasted volume
of their emissions.
--
There may come a time when the CO2 police will wander the earth telling
the poor and the dispossed how many dung chips they can put on their
cook fires. -- Captain Compassion.
Wherever I go it will be well with me, for it was well with me here, not
on account of the place, but of my judgments which I shall carry away
with me, for no one can deprive me of these; on the contrary, they alone
are my property, and cannot be taken away, and to possess them suffices
me wherever I am or whatever I do. -- EPICTETUS
Celibacy in healthy human beings is a form of
insanity. -- Captain Compassion
"Civilization is the interval between Ice Ages." -- Will Durant.
Joseph R. Darancette
daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net
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