Working in Europe for Everyone in Yorkshire and the Humber

23rd January 2008 - Speaking out on new measures to tackle climate change

In a week that has seen widespread flooding once again affect our region, Yorkshire Labour MEP Linda McAvan has welcomed a package of measures announced this lunchtime in Brussels by the European Commission to tackle climate change, but is urging the Commission and government to work hard for an international agreement.

Ms McAvan, who has special responsibility in the Socialist Group for climate change policy, backed moves to improve the European Emissions Trading Scheme by fixing a more realistic price for carbon, along with a new certification scheme to ensure that biofuels are produced in an environmentally sustainable way. But the MEPs described planned the 20% cut in emissions as "an absolute minimum".

The announcement from the Commission has been widely anticipated following the UN conference in Bali at the end of last year, and has already caused intense debate amongst business and environmental lobbies.

In a joint communiqué with other leading Socialist MEPs, Linda McAvan said;

“We are pleased that the proposals tackle greenhouse gas emissions across a range of sectors and in a variety of ways. We obviously need to examine the texts in detail, but the general direction of travel is the right one."

They added;

"The Commission has chosen 20 per cent as its overall emissions cut target. But in Bali, consensus was reached that cuts of 25 to 40 per cent have to be made by 2020 to limit global temperature increases to 2 degrees above pre industrial levels. This 20 per cent is therefore an absolute minimum."