Europe's Green Era Drawing To A Close
Vince Cable
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Very quietly, the big issue of climate change has disappeared from the political agenda. Even the former cheerleaders in Europe have given up. --Benjamin von Brackel, Der Freitag, 5 March 2012
Polish environment minister Marcin Korolec has said he will veto an EU proposal for CO2 cuts at a meeting in Brussels on Friday.The minister told Polish press agency, Pap, in Warsaw on Wednesday: "Our position is - we do not agree to any higher EU reduction goals looking to the year 2020. To currently define climate policy, when we do not know what global negotiations will look like, is seriously premature." Other Polish government sources told Pap that Warsaw also objects to other details of the "low carbonisation" plan. An EU diplomat noted that the Czech Republic and Romania are "hiding behind Poland" on the issue. --Andrew Rettman, EUobserver, 8 March 2012
Poland is poised to wield its veto on Friday at a Brussels meeting seeking accord on how to shift to a low carbon economy by 2050 and has written to fellow EU environment ministers, urging them to share its views. The ministers of the 27-nation bloc are gathering for a regular council meeting which will not set firm policy but is scheduled to approve a 2050 road-map, laying out milestones for carbon reductions beyond a set of 2020 policy targets. Two government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Poland would veto the environment council conclusions. "We cannot agree to anything that would directly or indirectly allow for higher emission reduction goals in the near future," one government source told Reuters. --Gabriela Baczynska and Barbara Lewis, Reuters, 7 March 2012
Vince Cable is pushing Chancellor George Osborne to scrap a £740m environmental burden on British business in this month's budget. It is understood that business department officials have asked the Treasury to remove the carbon reduction commitment (CRC). This forces an estimated 20,000 non-energy intensive businesses that still use lots of electricity and have bills of around £500,000, such as supermarket and hotel chains, to pay a price for every ton of carbon they emit. However, critics argue that the CRC has so far failed to show any signs of reducing emissions, as those big businesses still need electricity to keep their lights and computers on, and so is essentially just a tax in a time of financial struggle. --Mark Leftly, The Independent, 8 March 2012
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Comments
Da Penny is a Droppin'
It'll take time.
One thing you can be sure about.
Politicians such as Cable will do anything to avoid egg on their faces.
Ho Hum
What about Cool Whip?
Quote:...are sold on the green religion.
The chamber always gets louder the more it empties!!
He's still chanting the mantras and defending Mann.
Delingpole should have specified "no thinking people are listening" to explain the Drewskis who will remain faithful even as their ship sinks beneath them.
I'm just waiting for his tobacco juxtaposition!
I was reading Delingpole before it was cool to read Delingpole..
I win.
Same here pal, on my list of things to do is to buy Jimmy a pint or two and shake his hand one day.
JD is one of the good ones.