EU backtrack on CFCs spells "climate disaster"
One more failing in Blair climate policy
TONY Blair's commitment to lead the world on tackling climate change has suffered a serious setback at the hands of EU environment ministers - including his own delegation.
Meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, the Environment Council agreed to take a step backwards in the elimination of fluorinated greenhouse gases - the so-called F-gases - by prohibiting member states from adopting their own measures to phase out their use.
Denmark, Austria and Sweden will be forced to repeal national legislation prohibiting the importation of F-gases, which include CFCs and other chemicals used in fridges, air conditioning units and cleaning solvents, unless MEPs' reject the proposals during their second parliamentary reading.
Despite Green opposition, an alliance of LibDem and Conservative MEPs' bowed to chemical industry lobbying during the first reading - suggesting a second reading rejection of ministers' proposals is unlikely.
Green Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas said: "It is clear that some Member States will face serious difficulties in reaching their Kyoto reduction targets. Yet the Council of Ministers has today made achieving those targets much harder.
"By prohibiting countries from taking steps towards more environmentally friendly technologies ministers are undermining national policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
Dr Lucas, MEP for South East England and a member of the European Parliament's Environment Committee, added: "It is rank hypocrisy for this government to talk tough on combating climate change whilst at the same time it is agreeing to force other EU governments to repeal climate friendly policies."
F-gases can be up to 24,000 times more environmentally damaging than CO2, and are largely replaceable by commercially available natural compounds like hydrocarbons, ammonia and CO2, or by alternative technologies and practices.15th Oct 2004