Environment for Europeans : No 51, February 2014
In: 2014; (2014)
Online
Elektronische Ressource
Zugriff:
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has delivered the strongest ever warning that climate change is ‘unequivocal’ and that humans have been the main cause for the past 60 years. In its previous report, published in 2007, the IPCC concluded that the increases in temperature being recorded were ‘very likely’ due to greenhouse gases from human activity. Now, six years on, it has upgraded that to ‘extremely likely’. In mathematical parlance, that is equivalent to moving from 90 % to 95 %. The report warns that if emissions continue to increase at the present rate, by the end of the century global average temperature could rise by 2.6-4.8°C compared to today, sea levels by 0.45-0.82 metres and weather patterns would be disrupted. It presents the challenge in stark terms: to have a better than twothirds chance of limiting temperature rise to 2°C or less, as internationally agreed, total emissions must be restricted to 1 000 billion tonnes of carbon. Half that amount has already been emitted. The EU has consistently taken the lead in implementing policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions and recently adopted two significant initiatives while waiting for the international community to agree a more global approach later this decade. At the beginning of the year it extended its emission’s trading system to cover all aircraft, with some few exceptions, flying in Europe’s regional air space. Previously, the scheme had only covered internal flights in the 28-member EU, Norway and Iceland. The Commission is also looking at ways to reduce greenhouse gases from maritime transport. It has tabled draft legislation requiring all owners of ships over 5 000 gross tons using EU ports to monitor and report the vessel’s annual carbon dioxide emissions from 2018. Two other environmental themes will be given prominence this year before the present Commission stands down at the end of October. A reappraisal of EU legislation on waste is taking place and special emphasis will be given to the need for resource efficiency and a move towards a circular green economy
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Environment for Europeans : No 51, February 2014
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Autor/in / Beteiligte Person: | Commission, European ; Directorate-General for the Environment |
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Quelle: | 2014; (2014) |
Veröffentlichung: | 2014 |
Medientyp: | Elektronische Ressource |
ISSN: | 1563-4183 (print) |
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