Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-16-Speech-3-033"
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"en.20051116.4.3-033"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, I wish to convey my special thanks to Mrs Beckett, who was present in this Chamber today. Climate change is one of the most serious threats we face. I wish to emphasise that it can no longer be seen as an environmental problem. A warmer climate is a less stable climate, entailing a threat to just about every sector of our society, a threat that must be designated as one of our security problems. It is a security threat not only to the EU and its Member States but also, of course, to many poor countries in the tropics.
At the same time as saying that, I wish to emphasise that it is important not to see the climate issue merely as a problem and a burden. If we do the right things, we can reduce the risks for society in the future. If we do the right things, we can also open up opportunities for companies and technology in a range of areas. The world boasts an association known as the Climate Group. This includes a number of large companies, which show that it is possible both to reduce emissions and to earn a lot of money in a relatively short period. I believe that the necessary transformation of energy and transport systems in our part of the world should become an important lever in the Lisbon Process and should be able to create some impetus for creating new jobs and export opportunities.
Parliament’s report offers a list of proposed measures for the strategy after 2012. We think that the EU should continue to play a leading role in climate change work at an international level. Mrs Beckett has just confirmed in her speech that this is a view shared within the Council. We must do more in the short term so that we really do comply with the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. We are, however, at present responsible only for a portion of emissions, amounting to approximately 14%. We must, then, involve other actors. It is a matter of great urgency that, in the long run, we involve the United States in constructive cooperation. We must establish long-term goals. What we demand, and want to see, are reductions of 30% by 2020 and of 60% to 80% by 2050. This is also a demand constantly heard from the business world, which says that it needs long-term ground rules.
The situation of the developing countries is, of course, incredibly important. For them, energy is first and foremost a question of growth and development, but they need not repeat our mistakes. We require strategic partnerships, especially with the large developing countries, in order to provide a stimulus for technological leaps forward and for investment in the best possible technology. What has been introduced in this area through the Commission’s agreement with China is, of course, extremely constructive, but it must take place on a larger scale and become very much more significant. It should be borne in mind that, every month, China puts two new coal-fired power stations into operation.
We must invest more in research and development. It is now a fact that governments throughout the world invest less in energy research as a proportion of GDP than they did 30 years ago. That is quite incomprehensible to me. I often compare this state of affairs with that which applied in relation to the Apollo project. If the Americans were able to put a human being on the moon within ten years, we should, by means of huge efforts in the fields of research and development, be able to do something similar in terms of a breakthrough in new technologies. In order to become politically credible, we must take vigorous measures at home. We must give impetus to energy saving, something that has already been emphasised on several occasions. This means that, for example, the Buildings Directive should be extended and made more ambitious.
The transport area is a very critical one. We welcome the fact that shipping and aviation are to be included in climate policy. We recommend rapid measures designed to make railway transport more efficient. We think that we must draw the right conclusions from the difficulties in reducing road traffic emissions. We need, and therefore propose, ambitious and binding rules governing carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles. We need to help put new technologies – which do exist – on the market. There are, however, a great many obstacles. One of these is, of course, the fact that we continue to subsidise conventional technology, that is to say technology powered by fossil fuels. We need to develop emissions trading, but we must of course ensure that the allowance is not as ambitious as it was last year. Instead, we must lower the ceiling step by step. We must invite other actors to participate in this process so that we in Europe do not become the only market.
The majority of the measures proposed in the report are aimed at companies and manufacturers. We also think there needs to be more active involvement on the part of our citizens. The life-styles of all of us affect developments. We have an idea about, in the long run, considering some form of emissions trading at the level of the individual. Perhaps that is impossible to implement in practice, but a first step should be to increase knowledge both of the carbon content of everything we buy and of the carbon emitted by our forms of transport.
We in Parliament and in the European institutions should naturally practise what we preach. We should ensure that, for example, our buildings and forms of transport go as easy on carbon as possible. There is a lot to do in this area. In conclusion, I want to wish both the Commission and the Council good luck in Montreal. You must ensure that the EU can continue to play a leading role and you must propel international work on climate change in the direction of achieving positive results."@en1
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