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The Week in Germany: Current Affairs March 16, 2007 Chancellor Suggests EU Climate Goals a Model for US, India, China
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that the climate protection
measures adopted by the European Union at last week's EU summit in Brussels
could serve as a model for other regions. "Europe has taken a pioneering role," the chancellor said in
her weekly video message a day after EU leaders agreed on ambitious targets
to cut greenhouse gas emissions and use more renewable energy. Merkel said the example set by the EU could prod other countries to do
more to protect the environment. "I'm thinking of the United States
and the emerging economies of India and China," she added. The chancellor said she planned to present the results of the March 8-9
EU summit to a meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations
in the northern German resort of Heiligendamm
in June. "I hope that there will be a step in the right direction;
that more people in the world are prepared to commit themselves to action
to stop climate change," she said. Merkel used Germany's EU presidency on Friday to push European Union
leaders to adopt a binding target on the use of renewable energy, such
as wind and solar power. Under the agreement, the EU's 27 member states
promise to increase their share of renewables to an average of 20 percent
of total energy consumption by 2020. The summit also agreed to slash carbon
dioxide emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. (dpa) Links:
As scientists debate, public supports climate
action A majority of people in the world's largest and growing polluters consider
global warming a serious threat to their countries' well-being that must
be tackled despite the costs. That is the conclusion of a 17-country opinion poll released Wednesday
by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org. They
joined with local polling groups to question people in 17 countries and
found publics concerned about the effects of climate change but divided
on how much should be done - and how quickly. In the United States, the world's largest economy and largest greenhouse-gas
emitter, and China, the world's most populous country where emissions
are soaring, pluralities rated climate change as a serious problem that
had to be dealt with immediately, even if that means "significant"
economic costs (43 percent and 42 percent, respectively). That was closely
followed by those who believed global warming's effects were gradual and
could be handled at low cost over time (37 percent in the US and 42 percent
in China). Both countries are seen as key to tackling climate change. The United
States emits about one quarter of the world's greenhouse gases, while
China's fast-growing economy is consuming ever larger portions of the
world's resources, including fossil fuels. But Chinese and US views stand in contrast to India - another potentially
large polluter and the only country where there was no majority for taking
even limited action. Only 19 percent of those surveyed said that tackling
emissions was worth significant economic costs, and 30 percent believed
in gradual, low-cost steps. Another 24 percent favored no action "until
we are sure that it is really a problem." Paradoxically, 51 percent of Indians viewed climate change as a "critical"
threat to the "vital interests" of their country. That figure
stands above the US at 46 percent and China at 47 percent. Another 39
percent of Americans and 33 percent of Chinese said global warming was
"important but not critical." (dpa) Links: |
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