Changement climatique : l’UE met l’accent sur la technologie[en][de] 

The Commission will be launching the second European Climate Change Programme (ECCP II) at a stakeholder conference in Brussels on Monday (24 October). 

ECCP II follows on from the first European Climate Change Programme of March 2000, which won both plaudits and criticism with the EU trading scheme for CO2 emissions by big industrial plants.

The new programme will define future EU policies to mitigate climate change as well as to adapt to its consequences since at least part of it is considered to be unavoidable. "The recent extreme weather events around the world are consistent with scientific findings about the effects of our changing climate," said EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. "It is high time that we start preparing new measures to limit climate change."

The Commission said it wanted the new programme to provide "a strong push for innovation" in climate-friendly technologies and for "the inclusion of all emitting sectors, such as aviation, shipping and road transport" in mitigation efforts. The EU emissions trading scheme will continue to be a major instrument to reduce global warming.

On the same day, the WWF published a new report drawn up by the Wuppertal Institute in Germany. Entitled "Freezing climate change," the report compares a scenario with existing policies still in place with an alternative scenario which factors in new policies introduced to increase energy efficiency and market penetration of renewable energies. 

According to the report, the EU can cut CO2 emissions by 33% by 2020 without further use of nuclear power provided these policies are put in place, including "a strong emissions trading system". It adds these can be achieved "without reducing living standards or damaging the economy".

WWF's Head of European Climate and Energy Unit Oliver Rapf said achieving this goal is "not about available technologies", but about "making strong and determined decisions". These, he said, include mandatory targets for energy efficiency and renewable energies.