February 2014

Did you Know?

The Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) is at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change. It leads the respective Commission task forces on the international negotiations in the areas of climate change and ozone depleting substances and coordinates bi-lateral and multi-lateral partnerships on climate change and energy with third countries (countries that is not one of the 28 Member States).

EDC News: EU Actions on Climate Change!!!

Studies from the world's leading climate scientists have shown that the Earth’s climate system is warming and the most likely cause is the greenhouse gases from human activities. Since the middle of the 20th century concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased, the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and sea level has risen.

Tackling climate change has been at the forefront of the European Union’s policy development. Since 1991 the European Commission has implemented many climate-related initiatives, such as, the first Community strategy to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and improve energy efficiency. These include: a directive to promote electricity from renewable energy, voluntary commitments by car makers to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% and proposals on the taxation of energy products. In addition, a comprehensive package of policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been initiated through the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). Each of the EU Member States has also put in place its own domestic actions that build on the ECCP measures or complement them.

The European Union’s movement to fight climate change consists of three components:

• The 2020 climate and energy package which is a set of binding legislation which aims to ensure the European Union meets its ambitious climate and energy targets for 2020:

  • Reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)

  • National targets for non-EU ETS emissions

  • National renewable energy targets

  • Carbon capture and storage

• 2030 policy framework for climate and energy, proposed by the European Commission, aims to make the European Union's economy and energy system more competitive, secure and sustainable.

• 2050 Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy - the European Commission has looked beyond these short-term objectives and set out a cost-effective pathway for achieving much deeper emission cuts by the middle of the century.

For further information:

• EU law on climate change and protection of the ozone layer

• European Environment Agency (EEA) – Datasets, Maps, Policies, Publications

• Policies (then click on the relevant subject down the left)

KEY EU BOOKSHOP PUBLICATION LINKS, which can be downloaded for free!!!

• General climate change publications

  • Building a world we like, with a climate we like

  • Climate change factsheet (424 kB)

  • Environment for Europeans

  • Climate change: Key terms in 23 languages (1.07 Mb)

• EU Emissions Trading System

  • The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) (455 kB)

  • The EU ETS is delivering emission cuts (481 kB)

• Adaptation to climate change

  • The EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change (3.78 Mb)

  • European Climate Adaptation Platform Climate-ADAPT (3.08 Mb)

• EU development cooperation and climate finance

  • European Union Climate Funding for Developing Countries in 2013 (1.03 Mb)

  • EU fast start funding for developing countries 2010-2012 report (2.83 Mb)

  • From Integrated Climate Strategies to Climate Finance Effectiveness: Experiences from the Global Climate Change Alliance 2013

  • Paving the way for climate compatible development: Experiences from the Global Climate Change Alliance

  • Supporting a climate for change 2012 (2.47 Mb)

  • Global Climate Change Alliance: Using Innovative and Effective Approaches to Deliver Climate Change Support to Developing Countries (10.06 Mb)

• Low carbon technologies

  • Ensuring safe use of Carbon Capture and Storage in Europe (789 kB)

  • Financing innovative Low Carbon Technologies - The EU NER300 Programme (512 kB)

• Ozone layer protection

  • The Montreal Protocol (777 kB)

  • Environment factsheet: Ozone layer protection (600 kB)

• Fluorinated greenhouse gases

  • Stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment (brochure for operators) (1.44 Mb)

  • Stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment (leaflet for technical personnel) (496 kB)

  • Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas-based solvents (brochure for operators and technical personnel) (1.78 Mb)

  • Leaflet for producers, importers and exporters of fluorinated greenhouse gases, certain users and those placing certain equipment containing those gases on the EU market (2.68 Mb)

• Nature and land use

  • Nature's role in climate change (256 kB)

  • SOIL the hidden part of the climate cycle (1.24 Mb)