Tag: Pollutants

A proposal, backed by Germany and Austria, to place a cap on noxious emissions spewed out by a wide range of industries, including steel, chemicals and processed food plants, is set to be voted down by EU environment ministers today (2 March) over concerns that the measure would be too costly.

The Commission has said that it will draft legislation, by the end of the year, aimed at tackling the shipping industry's rapidly growing contribution to climate change, by including the sector in Europe's carbon dioxide cap-and-trade system.

F-gases in cars' air conditioning systems are to be banned from 2014, but will be maintained in refrigerators and other home equipment. Environmentalists say Parliament bowed to industry pressures.

The Parliament has given its go ahead to an immediate ban on 11 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). A final adoption by the Council could take place on 2 March.

In its annual progress report, the Commission says CO2 emissions from new cars in the EU went down by 10.8 per cent between 1995 and 2002 and encourages reluctant manufacturers to meet the 2010 targets.