Indicators for the Assessment of Member States' GHG Emission Trends and Burden Sharing Commitments: The Cohesion Countries

Abstract

Do Member States (MS) show clear signs that they are abating their GHG emissions? In view of recent trends in emissions, are the Burden Sharing Agreement targets too ambitious for the MS and, particularly, for the cohesion countries? Would this provide an argument for the revision of these targets? This paper tries to answer these questions, which have been asked in Europe at both the policy and academic level. It proposes and develops a set of indicators and applies them to the EU context, assessing the likely trends in GHG emissions in Europe. The main conclusion is that the cohesion countries should not ask for a renegotiation of targets. Their emissions have increased beyond their economic growth patterns because of the weak implementation of both institutional and technological measures aimed at GHG mitigation.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Hammond

Adriannse

Rodenburg Bryant

and Woodward

Environmental Indicators: A Systematic Approach to Measuring and Reporting on Environmental Policy Performance in the Context of Sustainable Development. World Resources Institute. Washington D.C. 1995.

Jepma, C. Climate Policy and Uncertainty. Energy & Environment, 2002, 13 (6).

Kopolo

Do ‘surrogate emissions’ constitute in built-leakage?. Energy & Environment, 2002, 13 (3).

Boehmer-Christiansen

Science, Equity and the War against Carbon. Journal of Science, Technology and Human Values, 2003, 28(1), 69–92.

Bertram

Tradable emission permits and the control of greenhouse gases. The Journal of Development Studies 1992, 28, 423–446.

Alfsen

Possible Criteria for Differentiated Commitments: Fair or Feasible?. Center for International Climate and Environmental Research. Working Paper 1997:7. Oslo, 1997.

Ringius

Torvanger

and Holtsmark

Can multi-criteria rules fairly distribute climate burdens?. OECD results from three burden sharing rules. Center for International Climate and Environmental Research. Working Paper 1998:6. Oslo, 1998.

Meyer

Contraction and Convergence. The Global Solution to Climate Change. Schumacher briefings 5, Greenbooks for the Schumacher Society, Bristol, USA, 2000.

Berk

and Elzen

Options for differentiation of future commitments in climate policy: How to realise timely participation to meet stringent climate goals?. Climate Policy 2001, 1, 465–480.

10.

Ridgley

Fair sharing of greenhouse gas burdens. Energy Policy, 1996, 4 (6), 517–529.

11.

Ringius

Torvanger

and Underdal

Burden Sharing and Fairness Principles in International Climate Policy. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 2002, 2, 1–22.

12.

Vesterdal

and Svendsen

G.T.

How should greenhouse gas permits be allocated in the EU?. Energy Policy 2004 (forthcoming).

13.

EEA.

Greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe

2003. Tracking progress by the EU and acceding and candidate countries towards achieving their Kyoto Protocol targets. Final draft. Environmental Issue Report No 36. Copenhaguen, 2003.