Decision to cut greenhouse gas emissions means EU leads fight against global warming

EU Environment Ministers yesterday agreed to support a call for 15 per cent cuts in greenhouse $as emissions by developing countries by 2010.

The Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, said the agreement would put the EU at the forefront of OECD countries in seeking measures to stop global warming at the world conference in Kyoto in December.

The proposal for emission curbs on a "basket" of gases CO2, CH4, and N2O is based on a complex system of "burden sharing" between more and less developed EU members. This will allow for an increase of 15 per cent in emissions in Ireland on the baseline 1990 figure.

Portugal will be allowed a 40 per cent increase, while Germany must cut its emissions by a quarter, Britain by 10 per cent. France will have to hold to its 1990 level.

Mr Howlin said the important decision on greenhouse emissions would allow us to go forward to Kyoto with an ambitious strategy. He hoped it would prompt similarly radical proposals from the other key players in the developed world, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

There was now no scientific disagreement that greenhouse, gases contributed significantly to global warming, he said.

While the target is for a 15 per cent reduction in emissions, the contribution of the burden sharing formula will only bring about two thirds of this. Commission officials were vague on how the balance of cuts would be achieved saying that as the agreement was only a negotiating position, it was not necessary at this stage to reach detailed agreement on such issues.

The Ministers agreed the cuts would be achieved through measures ranging from support for alternative energy sources to encouraging rail transport.

Mr Howlin said there was no question of Ireland accepting proposals for metering of domestic water supplies. The proposals are included in a European Commission draft directive.

He said he supported the thrust of 90 per cent of the directive but would explain to his colleagues that the Government had taken a decision of principle to provide free domestic water to those who receive their supply from the State.

The Commission argues that metering and charging for water would make consumers aware that water was a scarce resource.

Mr Howlin said the discussion of the water directive, which contains wide ranging proposals for monitoring and managing supplies, was at the most preliminary stage and that the Commission had paid tribute to the quality of Irish controls. He would seek an exemption from the provision on charges which is unlikely to survive in its current form.