Europe warned on 'low carbon leakage' if it falters on renewables

(EurActiv, 21 Oct 2014) Ahead of an EU summit which is expected to agree on energy and climate goals for 2030, a new study by the European Climate Foundation is calling for binding targets to avoid low-carbon technologies from moving outside of Europe and putting 600,000 jobs at risk. EurActiv Germany reports.

Klaus Töpfer and Jürgen Trittin, both former environment ministers of Germany, are alarmed that the EU is frittering away its leading role in environmental protection.

The EU's 28 heads of state and government should not give in to the industry lobby at their 23-24 October summit, when leaders will determine the bloc's energy and climate for 2030, Töpfer and Trittin said.

Energy-intensive industries say that competition from countries without strict regulations on carbon dioxide emissions could force them to relocate abroad, an unproved phenomenon known as "carbon leakage".

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EurActiv, 21 Oct 2014: Europe warned on 'low carbon leakage' if it falters on renewables