Europe to Ditch Climate Protection Goals

[marmar]

from Der Spiegel:

The EU's reputation as a model of environmental responsibility may soon be history. The European Commission wants to forgo ambitious climate protection goals and pave the way for fracking -- jeopardizing Germany's touted energy revolution in the process.

The climate between Brussels and Berlin is polluted, something European Commission officials attribute, among other things, to the "reckless" way German Chancellor Angela Merkel blocked stricter exhaust emissions during her re-election campaign to placate domestic automotive manufacturers like Daimler and BMW. This kind of blatant self-interest, officials complained at the time, is poisoning the climate.

But now it seems that the climate is no longer of much importance to the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, either. Commission sources have long been hinting that the body intends to move away from ambitious climate protection goals. On Tuesday, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported as much.

At the request of Commission President José Manuel Barroso, EU member states are no longer to receive specific guidelines for the development ofrenewable energy. The stated aim of increasing the share of green energy across the EU to up to 27 percent will hold. But how seriously countries tackle this project will no longer be regulated within the plan. As of 2020 at the latest -- when the current commitment to further increase the share of green energy expires -- climate protection in the EU will apparently be pursued on a voluntary basis.

Climate Leaders No More?

With such a policy, the European Union is seriously jeopardizing its global climate leadership role. Back in 2007, when Germany held the European Council presidency, the body decided on a climate and energy legislation package known as the "20-20-20" targets, to be fulfilled by the year 2020. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/european-commission-move-away-from-climate-protection-goals-a-943664.html

[ananda]

1. This is what happens when you elect "conservatives."

It always does. They never do quite what you think they will or hope
they will.

[Ghost Dog]

2. But politicians on all sides of the spectrum appear to be too easily corruptible

by the power of money, don't you think?

Except possible the Greens in the European Parliament. But notice they have representation in neither the Commission nor the Council.

There has been zero open democratic debate amongst people of the EU or their representatives about this, as far as I'm aware. It is government by fiat.