EU CO2 emissions decrease by 5% in 2014. 40% target should be reached by 2020 instead of 2030.

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion decreased by 5.0 percent in 2014 in the European Union (EU), compared with the previous year, official estimation said on Monday.

The figure was released in the early estimates of CO2 emissions from energy use for 2014 published by the statistical office of the EU Eurostat on Monday.

Carbon dioxide emissions fell in 2014 in most EU member states, except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden, said Eurostat.

The largest decreases were recorded in Slovakia and Denmark, followed by Slovenia, Britain and France.

However, there are continuous voices of doubt concerning the EU's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world.

Last October, leaders of the EU agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 on the basis of 1990 levels, as part of the EU's newly-adopted 2030 climate and energy policy framework.

The EU included this target in its formal climate action plan after 2020, which it submitted to the United Nations (UN) this March. This raised doubt from some NGOs which believed this was far from sufficient regarding the EU's historical record and current capability.

Moreover, in previous rounds of UN climate talks, officials from developing countries had criticized that EU's 40% target should be reached by 2020 instead of 2030 since emissions in the EU had already been reduced by 19 percent in 2013 compared with 1990 levels.
  Xinhua - china.org.cn
16/6/15
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