EU actions on climate change

NO DOUBT
that the climate system is warming according to IPCC ,which brings together hundreds of scientist on climate change from all over the world. The global average temperature has risen around 0.8C since 1880 and humankind s influence is clear! the "#CC is at least 95% certain that human activities which release greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of warming since the mid$%0th century.

The present emission trends put the world plausi l! on a path toward "#C warming within this centur!$

%hat shall we e&pect at a "#C warmer world'

&eter$scale sea(le)el rise by %100 caused by the rapid loss of ice from 'reenland and the (est )ntarctic "ce *heet Increasing aridit!* drought* and e&treme temperatures in manyregions, including )frica, southern +urope and the &iddle +ast, most of the )mericas, )ustralia, and *outheast )sia +apid ocean acidi,ication with wide$ranging, adverse implications for marine species and entire ecosystems Increasing threat to large(scale ecos!stems , such as coral reefs and a large part of the )ma,on rain forest -arious climatic e&tremes can be e.pected to change in intensity or fre/uency, including heat waves, intense rainfall events and related floods, and tropical cyclone intensity.

In Europe it is e&pected to ha)e more regural heatwa)es more intense rain,alls and related ,loods and at se)eral places o, coastal area will e seriousl! e,,ected ! the increasing sea le)el$

To prevent the most severe impacts of climate change, the international community has agreed that global warming should be kept below 2C compared to the temperature in pre-industrial times.

a temperature increase of no more than 1.2 C above today!s level .

That means

(hat the +uropean 0nion does in order to archive this goal1

-et up targets ! ./5/

0nder the 2yoto protocol, the 13 countries that were member before %004 are committed to reducing their collective emissions to 85 below 1660 levels by the years %008$%01%. +missions monotrong shows that the +0$13 is well on track to meet this target. &ost &ember *tates that have 7oined the +0 since %004 also have 2yoto reduction targets of 85 or 85 935 in Croatia s case: which they are on course to achieve. ;or ././, the +0 has committed to cutting its emissions to ./% below 1660 levels. This is one of the headline targets of the Europe ././ growth strateg!$ The +0 has offered to increase its emissions reduction to 0/% ! ././ i, other ma1or emitting countries in the de)eloped and de)eloping worlds commit to underta2e their ,air share of a global emissions reduction effort. ;or ./0/, the +uropean Commission proposes that the +0 set itself a target of reducing emissions to "/% below 1660 levels by %0<0. ;or ./5/, +0 leaders have endorsed the ob7ective of reducing +urope s greenhouse gas emissions by 3/(95% compared to 1660 levels as part of efforts by developed countries as a group to reduce their emissions by a similar degree.

(hat the +uropean 0nion does in order to archive this goal 1

Ta2es initiati)es to reduce greenhouse gas emissions!

The +0 +missions Trading *ystem, which has become the +0 s key tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industry most cost$effectively= )dopting legislation to raise the share of energy consumption produced by renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and biomass to %05 by %0%0 "mproving the energy efficiency of buildings and of a wide array of e/uipment and household appliances by %05 by%0%0 >inding targets to reduce C?% emissions from new cars and vans *upporting the development of carbon capture and storage 9CC*: technologies to trap and store C?% emitted by power stations and other ma7or industrial installations +uropean Climate Change #rogramme 9+CC#:

(hat else1

The +0 is a driving force at the international climate change negotitations and was instrumental at the development of 0@;CC and the 2yoto protocol ./% o, the EU udget aimed to support climate actions AmainstreamingB means, climate change increasingly integrated into other policy areas concerns

(orld s leading donor ,or de)elopment aid* the +0 provide substantional funding to help developing contries tackle climate change

;resh news from the +0

) reduction in greenhouse gas 9'C': emissions by 405 below the 1660 level, an +0$wide binding target for renewable energy of at least %D5, renewed ambitions for energy efficiency policies, a new governance system and a set of new indicators to ensure a competitive and secure energy system. These are the pillars of the new +0 framework on climate and energy for %0<0 presented today 9%%E01E%014: by the +uropean Commission.

Resources/ More info for deep divers

IPCC, 2013:Summary for Policymakers. In Climate Change 2013:The Physical Science Basis Contri ution of !orking "rou# I to the $ifth %ssessment &e#ort of the Intergo'ernmental Panel on Climate Change (Stocker, T.$., ). *in, ".+,. Plattner, -. Tignor, S. ,. %llen, .. Boschung, %. /auels, 0. 1ia, 2. Be3 an4 P.-. -i4gley 5e4s.67. Cam ri4ge 8ni'ersity Press, Cam ri4ge, 8nite4 ,ing4om an4 /e9 0ork, /0, 8S%. Turn down the heat: Why a 4C world shouldbe avoided, the World Bank November2012 htt :!!e"#euro a#eu!"lima! oli"ies!brie$!"auses!inde%&en#htm htt :!!e"#euro a#eu!"lima!news!arti"les!news&2014012202&en#htm htt :!!un$"""#int!2'(0# h