Connie Hedegaard wins battle for 25% carbon emissions cut

(The Guardian, 8 Mar 2011) EU climate change commissioner – with help from Chris Huhne – sees off lobbyists who opposed raising target from 20%

Europe's climate chief has beaten off intense lobbying from businesses to secure a key victory in the battle over greenhouse gas targets.

Connie Hedegaard, the EU climate change commissioner, published on Tuesday afternoon her long-awaited report into how the EU can toughen its climate targets in a cost-effective manner , with a proposal that the EU could raise its current targets on emissions cuts from 20% emissions cuts to 25% cuts by 2020.

Despite pressure from business groups to remove the proposal, and retain a clear commitment to stick at the lower 20% target, it remained in the final draft of the "roadmap to 2050" seen by the Guardian ahead of publication .

Ruth Davis, the chief policy adviser at Greenpeace, said: "Over the last few weeks lobbyists for Europe's dirtiest corporations have frantically sought to strip the European climate plan of any ambition whatsoever – but they have failed. What this road map shows is that if Europe does nothing beyond what it's already planning to do, we will not only meet our 2020 carbon target – but also exceed it by quite some way."

European commission roadmap to a low-carbon economy in 2050

External link

The Guardian, 8 Mar 2011: Connie Hedegaard wins battle for 25% carbon emissions cut