EU’s New Emissions Guidelines Overshadow G8 Deal

Protesters dressed as G8 leaders hold balloons representing the carbon their countries emit per capita.

The members of G8 backed a deal today endorsing emission cuts by 50% by the year 2050, but did not set goals for the near term. The agreement also urges nations to become more energy efficient, use clean technology and help developing nations build green infrastructure. These recommendations are not binding and are not new ideas in climate change policy. In addition, the G8 nations did not specify how to meet emissions reductions or pledge to reduce emissions below 1990 levels, as many environmental leaders say is necessary.

I believe the more important climate change story of the day came out of the European Parliament. Members of the Parliament overwhelming voted to include aviation emissions cuts in their Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), developed under the Kyoto Protocol several years ago. This is the first time that the aviation industry has come under regulation in the EU’s revolutionary ETS. Airline companies in the U.S. and Europe issued protest saying it was outside of the EU’s jurisdiction to regulate flights outside the 27 member nations and that it will raise costs for travelers. However, it is my opinion that we must pay for the pollutants we emit into the atmosphere and the aviation ruling is a step in the right direction for world climate change policy. Encompassing the entire transportation sector will make people aware of the real impacts of global warming and hopefully translate into a similar ETS policy worldwide (including the stingy U.S.).