Europe > Europe Climate change Profile

Europe: Europe Climate change Profile

2012/08/14

Europe Climate change Profile

About climate change

Climate change is one of our greatest environmental, social and economic threats. The warming of the climate system is unequivocal, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Observations show increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level. It is very likely that most of the warming can be attributed to the emissions of greenhouse gases by human activities.

Climate change represents the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen.

Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the UK Government Economic Service
and former World Bank Chief Economist, 2006

Over the past 150 years, mean temperature has increased by almost 0.8 ºC globally and by about 1 ºC in Europe. Eleven of the last twelve years (1995–2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850). Without global action to limit emissions, the IPCC expects that global temperatures may increase further by 1.8 to 4.0 ºC by 2100. This means that temperature increase since pre-industrial times would exceed 2 °C. Beyond this threshold irreversible and possibly catastrophic changes become far more likely.

The impacts of climate change are already being observed and are projected to become more pronounced. Extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts and floods, are expected to become more frequent and intense. In Europe the largest temperature increases are in southern Europe and the Arctic region. Precipitation decreases in southern Europe and increases in the north/north-west. This leads to impacts on natural ecosystems, human health and water resources. Economic sectors, such as forestry, agriculture, tourism and buildings will suffer mostly adverse consequences. The agricultural sector in northern Europe may benefit from a limited temperature rise.

To halt climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced significantly, and policies are put in place to do so.

The main sources of man-made greenhouse gases are:

burning of fossil fuels in electricity generation, transport, industry and households;
agriculture and land use changes like deforestation;
land filling of waste; and
use of industrial fluorinated gases.

Even if policies and efforts to reduce emissions are effective, some climate change is inevitable. We must therefore also develop strategies and actions to adapt to the impacts of climate change in Europe and especially beyond, since the least developed countries are among the most vulnerable, having the least financial and technical capacity to adapt.

Climate change policies

Global policies

The UNFCCC long-term objective is 'to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system'. The Kyoto Protocol is a first step to achieve this. It sets emission reduction targets for many industrialised countries, including most EU Member States, and limits the emission increases of the remaining countries:

The 15 pre-2004 EU Member States (EU-15) have a joint emission reduction target of 8 % below 1990 levels by 2008–2012 below 1990 levels . Through an internal EU agreement some EU Member States are allowed increases in emissions, while others should decrease emissions.
Most EU-12 Member States (that joined the EU since 1 May 2004) have targets of – 6 to – 8 % from their base years (mostly 1990).

The United States of America, which have high greenhouse gas emissions, have not ratified the Protocol.

Countries are expected to meet their target mainly through domestic policies and measures. They are allowed to meet part of their emission reduction targets by investing in emission reducing projects in developing countries ( Clean Developing Mechanism, CDM) or in developed ones ( Joint Implementation). The CDM is also meant to support sustainable development, e.g. by financing renewable energy projects.

The IPCC calls for global emission reductions of about 50 % by the middle of the 21st century. This implies 60–80 % reduction of emissions by developed countries. Developing countries with large emissions, such as China, India and Brazil, will have to limit their emission growth.

In December 2009, the 15th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC held in Copenhagen (COP15) took note of the Copenhagen Accord. The accord brings together a diversity of countries that have put in place a letter of intent with the ingredients of an architecture for a response to climate change. The key points of the accord include the objective to keep the maximum temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius; the commitment to list developed country emission reduction targets and mitigation action by developing countries for 2020; USD 30 billion short-term funding for immediate action till 2012 and USD 100 billion annually by 2020 in long-term financing, as well as mechanisms to support technology transfer and forestry.

European Union policies

Climate change mitigation (reduction of greenhouse gases)

Many European countries have adopted national programmes aimed at reducing emissions. Various policies and measures have also been adopted at the EU level through the European Climate Change Programme, for example:

increased use of renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass) and combined heat and power installations;
improvements in energy efficiency in e.g. buildings, industry, household appliances;
reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from new passenger cars;
abatement measures in manufacturing industry;
measures to reduce emissions from landfills.

The EU's carbon dioxide Emission Trading Scheme is the cornerstone of EU efforts to reduce emissions cost-effectively.

In March 2007, the EU leaders endorsed an ambitious climate change and energy plan to limit EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 % by 2020 (from 1990 levels) and achieve, by 2020, a target of 20 % of total EU primary energy use through renewable energy.

In January 2008, the European Commission proposed an energy and climate package to achieve objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting renewable energies by 2020 :

Emissions from sectors not included in the EU ETS – such as transport, housing, agriculture and waste – will be cut by 10% from 2005 levels by 2020. Each Member State will contribute to this effort according to its relative wealth, with national emission targets ranging from -20% for richer Member States to +20% for poorer ones.
For energy-intensive sectors, such as steel and chemicals, the EU will strengthen its emission trading scheme (ETS) to help reach the 20% objective.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require an increased use of renewable energies, which also implies a more diversified energy supply for Europe.
Additional emission reductions will be achieved from measures targeting aviation , CO₂ and cars, and carbon capture and storage .

Following an agreement between the European Council and the European Parliament on the climate and energy package in December 2008, six legislative acts were adopted on 23 April 2009.

Adaptation to climate change

Some EEA member countries have prepared National Climate Change Adaptation Strategies or have started preparing these. The European Commission published a Green Paper on 'Adapting to climate change in Europe — options for EU action' in 2007 and a White Paper on adaptation to climate change in 2009 (EU policy on climate change and adaptation).