[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 106 (Thursday, August 3, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8783-S8792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             EUROPEAN UNION COMPLIANCE TO THE KYOTO TREATY

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I want to address a growing misperception 
concerning the European Union's ability to meet its obligations under 
the Kyoto Treaty. There are many climate change skeptics who claim that 
the EU will not be able to meet their greenhouse gas emission reduction 
targets under the Kyoto Treaty. In turn, they argue that the U.S. 
should not participate in any ``cap and trade'' system for the 
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
  Under the Kyoto Treaty, the EU has committed to greenhouse gas 
reductions target of 8 percent below their 1990 emission levels and 
covers the years 2008 through 2012. This target is shared by the 15 EU 
member states, EU-15, that existed at the time of the EU ratification 
of the protocol in May 2001. An additional 10 countries joined the EU 
in May 2004, eight of which have individual targets under Kyoto that 
range from 6 to 8 percent below the 1990 levels. Two of them, Malta and 
Cyprus, are developing countries and, therefore, do not have any 
emission targets under the treaty.
  In December 2005, the EU, as required by the Kyoto Treaty, reported 
on the progress made toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The 
report indicated that EU policies and actions by member states to date 
have made annual carbon dioxide emissions reductions of 5.5 percent in 
the year 2003 across all 25 of the EU member states, EU-25.
  The report makes the following assessments:
  For the EU-15:

       Existing measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases 
     that are projected to be 1.6 percent below the year 1990 
     levels in 2010. Savings from additional domestic policies and 
     measures being planned by the EU-15 would result in total 
     emission reductions of 6.8 percent.
       EU-15 member states forecast that they will be able to 
     achieve lower emissions of 9.3 percent below the year 1990 
     levels through the use of the Kyoto flexibility mechanisms in 
     the year 2010. They include such activities as emissions 
     trading, forest sequestration, and participating in 
     International projects that result in greenhouse gas 
     reductions through the Joint Implementation and Clean 
     Development Mechanism programs.

  For the EU-25:
       The total of all member states' projections of greenhouse 
     gas emissions will be 5 percent below base year levels in 
     2010 as a result of measures already implemented.
       The implementation of additional measures is projected to 
     reduce the EU-25 greenhouse gas emissions to 9.3 percent 
     below 1990 levels by 2010 and, with the use of Kyoto 
     flexibility mechanisms, to 11.3 percent below the year 1990 
     levels.

  The December 2005 report concludes that the EU-15 states can meet 
their target of 8 percent below the 1990 levels if the additional 
domestic measures and the Kyoto flexibility mechanisms that are planned 
are implemented.
  According to the February 14, 2006 statement of the acting head of 
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Richard 
Kinley, 34 industrialized countries under the Kyoto Treaty were ``on 
their way to lower their emissions levels by at least 3.5% below the 
1990 levels during the first commitment period.'' ``With the help of 
additional measures and the use of Kyoto market-based mechanisms, they 
will as a group be able reach their agreed Kyoto reduction targets.''

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  In June, the European Environment Agency issued the Annual European 
Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2004 and Inventory Report 2006. 
The report indicates that the EU-15 greenhouse gas emissions for 2004 
increased by 0.3 percent--11.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide 
equivalents--over 2003. However, compared to the base year, emissions 
in 2004 were 0.9 percent lower. Assuming a linear target path from 1990 
to 2010, total EU-15 greenhouse gas emissions were 4.7 index points 
above this target path in 2004. It should be noted that this linear 
target path is not intended as an approximation of past and future 
emission trends. It does provide a measure of how close the EU-15 
emissions are in 2004 to a linear path of emissions from 1990 to the 
Kyoto target period of 2008-2012, assuming that only domestic measures 
will be used. Therefore, it is not a measure of future compliance of 
the EU-15 with its greenhouse gas emission targets in 2008-2012, but 
aims at evaluating overall EU-15 greenhouse emissions in 2004 alone.
  The EU is fully committed to the Kyoto Treaty. It has adopted a 
series of policies and measures, such as the EU's greenhouse gas 
emissions trading scheme, to meet its target in a cost-effective 
manner. The most recent projections show that these measures, together 
with the EU's participation in the global carbon market, will allow the 
EU to meet its target.
  To ensure its compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, the EU has adopted 
a series of measures under the European Climate Change Programme, ECCP. 
Most of these measures have recently entered into force and will start 
to show their full effect over the next few years. These include:
  The EU greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme; the promotion of 
electricity from renewable energy sources; the promotion of 
cogeneration, CHP; increasing the energy performance of buildings; the 
promotion of the use of biofuels for transport; the reduction of land-
filling of biodegradable waste
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record documents from 
the European Commission and the European Environmental Agency's reports 
which summarize the EU's efforts to address climate change. Let me 
highlight a few of the important elements from these reports for my 
colleagues.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

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  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, attachment I gives a full overview of all 
recently adopted measures and their projected effect. ECCP policies and 
other actions by Member States to date, in combination with 
restructuring of European industry, particularly in Central and Eastern 
Europe, have contributed to an absolute reduction of annual carbon 
dioxide emissions of some 305 million tonnes, 4.8 percent, across the 
EU-25 in 2004.
  Attachment II provides an overview of the performance of individual 
Member States. In 2004, the EU-15, which shares the EU's Kyoto target 
of an 8 percent reduction, had reduced their greenhouse gas emissions 
by 0.9 percent compared to 1990 levels even though they recorded 
economic growth of 32 percent from 1990 to 2004. The average EU-15 
member state's emissions over the most recent 5-year period are 
currently 2 percent below 1990 level.
  Attachment III provides an overview of the planned use by individual 
Member States of the Kyoto mechanisms. The EU will make use of the 
cost-effective reduction options offered by its participation in the 
global carbon market, based on the Kyoto's flexible mechanisms, to meet 
its target.
  In summary Mr. President, the EU has made good progress and its 
ultimate success will depend upon the speed and thoroughness of the 
implementation by Member States of legislative and domestic measures. 
Total projections for the EU-15 Member States show that the Kyoto 
targets can be met if Member States implement additional planned 
domestic measures and use the flexible mechanisms.
  Despite this meaningful progress, the EU realizes that much more has 
to be done. Its climate change policy does not stop in 2012, the end of 
the Kyoto Treaty. The European Commission has also adopted a 
Communication outlining key elements for a strategy for further action 
post 2012. They include: the need for broader participation by 
countries and sectors; the development of low-carbon technologies; the 
continued and expanded use of market-based instruments; and the need to 
adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. A follow-up 
Communication with proposals for concrete steps at European and 
international levels is planned for the end of 2006.
  These policies, and others like them, provide the necessary strong, 
long-term signals to industry, EU Member State governments, and the 
wider international community that the EU is committed to tackling 
climate change and expects all of its institutions, businesses, and 
citizens to do their part.
  Many here in the US will try to use another country's failure or 
inaction as an excuse for not doing anything. But it is just that, an 
excuse. The harsh reality is that we all need to be doing more--and 
that means the United States too. Just as we cannot allow the EU 
challenges to serve as the basis for our inaction, I certainly hope 
that the EU would not allow our lack of action to hinder their efforts 
to address this significant problem.

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