CITEPA - News

China : Climate change

UK : low carbon cars

CO₂ allowance price

Aviation and the ETS

Environment and criminal law

Environmental policy

UK : long term GHG targets

GHG emissions in the EU

Emissions from ships

Aviation CO₂ emissions

Norway : CO₂ capture and storage

UK : long terme GHG target

Brazil : climate change

Global CO₂ emissions

Environment Ministry's 2009 budget

USA : emissions trading

CO₂ emissions from cars

Aviation and CO₂ emissions

CO₂ emissions from aviation

CO₂ emissions from vans and minibuses

The European Commission presented a legislative proposal aimed at revising the regulation in force concerning the protection of the ozone layer (Regulation (EC) n° 2037/2000 as amended on substances that deplete the ozone layer).

Pollutants emissions 1990-2006

The European Environment Agency (EEA) published its annual EU-27 pollutant emissions inventory report under the UNECE Convention on Long range Transboundary Air Pollution, covering the period 1990-2006 .

Following the conclusions of the 2007 national consultation on environmental policy (Grenelle de l'Environnement), the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) announced the publication,in association with the French Standards Body (AFNOR), of a Good Practice Guide harmonising methods for determining the environmental (and climate) impact of products.

Australia: Green Paper on climate

The OECD published a report presenting an economic assessment of agrofuel support policies in its member countries.

The French Secretary of State for the Environment presented the National AirQuality Assessmentfor2007 and a Plan to reduce concentrations of particulates. Thelatter sets targets anddefines national reduction measures aimed at all sectors (residential-commercial, industry, transport, agriculture) . The Plan was drafted following the conclusions of the major national consultation in 2007 known as the Grenelle de l’Environnement which set a 30% reduction target for PM₁₀ and for PM_2.5 concentrations by 2015.
See CITEPA's quarterly report Etudes documentaires n° 164 p.I.123.

French Environment Ministry

Decree n° 2008- 680 of 9 July was published in the French Official Journal. It sets out the new organisation of the central administration of the French Ministry for Environment, Energy, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning (MEEDDAT). It includes a Directorate for European and International Affairs (DAEI) and a Directorate General for Energy and Climate, made up of an Energy Directorate, as well as a Climate and Energy Efficiency Division.

5^th Major Economies Meeting (MEM) in Toyako (Hokkaido, Japan), bringing together the Heads of State and Government of the G8 group of countries (France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, United States, Canada, Russia), the five emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa), Australia, Indonesia and South Korea. At the end of the meeting, the 16 leaders released a declaration on energy security and climate change.

The European Commission presented a packet of measures designed to "green" transports including :

a communication to the European Parliament and the Council on "greening transport" ;
a proposal for a Directive aimed at revising the Eurovignette Directive (1999/62/EC) on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructure. This proposal would allow Member States to reduce environmental damage and congestion through more efficient and greener road tolls
a strategy for internalising external costs of transports (including environmental costs).

See CITEPA's quarterly report Etudes documentaires n° 160 p.I.151.

Aviation and the EU-ETS

The European Parliament (EP), in plenary, approved a 2^nd reading agreement reached between representatives of the Council and the EP on a compromise text concerning the proposed directive aimed at including the aviation sector in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The directive will be formally adopted by the Council and then published in the EU Official Journal.

The European Commission wrote to 23 Member States (including France ) to request information on measures adopted to comply with concentration limit values (CLVs) for fine particulate matter (PM₁₀). These standards have been in force since 1 January 2005 (under Directive 1999/30/EC). These 23 Member States had informed the Commission that the CLVs for PM₁₀ had been exceeded in 2006.

Summit meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the G8 group of countries in Toyako ( Hokkaido , Japan ) . The issues addressed included climate and energy. In the declaration released on 8 July, the G8 leaders stated that they "seek to share with all the Parties to the UNFCCC the vision of, and together with them to consider and adopt in the UNFCCC negotiations, the goal of achieving at least [a] 50% reduction of global [greenhouse gas] emissions by 2050".

The French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (AFSSET) published four indoor air quality guidelinesforbenzene: (long term, haematological and carcinogenic effects, intermediate and short term).

Informal Environment Council followed by an Informal Energy Council in St Cloud, west of Paris, largely devoted to the legislative package on climate and renewable energy (currently under discussion) and the upcoming 14^th Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention (to take place in Poznan, Poland in December 2008). Both Council formations met for a joint working lunch on 4 July to discuss the climate/renewable package.

UK : CO₂ emissions

The UK Environment Ministry (DEFRA) published a report estimating CO₂ emissions generated by goods and services imported into the UK . Thus, trade-adjusted CO₂ emissions were significantly higher than total official CO₂ emissions (figures submitted to the UNFCCC): in 2004, consumer CO₂ emissions reached 132 Mt ie 21% more than producer or UNFCCC national CO₂ emissions.

CO₂ emissions from cars

The French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning (MEEDDAT) confirmed, as planned in the outcome of the national consultation on environmental policy (Grenelle de l'Environnement), that as of 1 January 2009, an additional annual tax will be applied on new vehicles with unit CO₂ emissions above 250 g CO₂/km.

France has taken over the EU Presidency until 31 December 2008 . Its priorities include the legislative package on climate and renewables, with the aim of reaching political agreement by the end of 2008.

A report was released by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Climate Group on "Breaking the climate deadlock: a global deal for our low carbon future". The report sets out a practical path towards a global climate agreement in Copenhagen ( Denmark ) in December 2009. The report was then presented to the Japanese Prime Minister ahead of the G8 summit in Hokkaido (7-9 July 2008).
See news item of 14 March 2008 in this section.

The Nordic Ecolabel, initiated in 1989 and applied in the Nordic countries, announced that environmental criteria had been adopted for awarding the Nordic Ecolabel (known as the Swan) to certain fuel products : bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas or a combination of these fuels.

The UK Government launched a public consultation on its upcoming Renewable Energy Strategy to meet the target proposed by the European Commission (under the climate/renewable legislative package) for increasing its share of renewable in final energy consumption to 15% by 2020 (it currently stands at 1.5%).

Reported GHG emissions

The Ministerial Order of 31 March 2008 on verification and quantification of greenhouse gas emissions reported under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for the period 2008-2012 was published in the French Official Journal.

EU GHG emissions 2006

The European Environment Agency (EEA) released the 2006 figures for greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, as part of the Annual EU greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2006 and inventory report 2008, submitted to the UNFCCC.

The EU Transport Council have reached a provisional agreement (known as a general approach) on the proposal for a directive on the promotion of clean and energy efficient road vehicles. The draft directive was presented by the Commission on 19 December 2007 .
See CITEPA's quarterly report Etudes documentaires n° 167 (to be published in mid-July 2008)

Switzerland : CO₂ trading scheme

Switzerland launched a CO₂ emissions trading scheme for the period 2008-2012. The Federal Environment Office allocated allowances to companies exonerated from the CO₂ tax in accordance with their reduction targets for the first year of the scheme.

Directive 2008/50/EC of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (known as the CAFE directive) was published in the EU Official Journal (n° L 152).
See CITEPA's monthly newsletter C'est dans l'Air n° 113 p.3.

Environmental policy

The French Environment Minister presented the Environment Policy Framework Bill in the Council of Ministers (cabinet). It translates the conclusions of the 2007 national consultation, known as the Grenelle de l'Environnement, into legislative targets and objectives.

At the annual EU-USA summit, which this year took place in Brdo ( Slovenia ), climate change, energy security and energy efficiency were among the priority issues discussed. A joint declaration was adopted on the subject.

Japan : GHG targets 2050

Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Yasuo Fukuda, announced that Japan will aim to reduce its national greenhouse gasemissionsby 60 to 80% by 2050 ( sources : BBC News, AFP ).

Climate/
CO₂ emissions from cars

At the Franco-German summit in Straubing ( Bavaria ), French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued joint statements on climate and vehicle emissions.

The voluntary initiative entitled International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) was launched by Energy Ministers of the G8 countries, China , India and South Korea .
See other news item on the same date.

Meeting, in Aomori ( Japan ), of the G8 Energy Ministers followed by a meeting of the G8 Energy Ministers and the Energy Ministers of China , India and Korea .

Energy technology prospects

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published the 2008 edition of its biennial publication on Energy Technology Perspectives 2008 – scenarios and strategies to 2050.