TOPIC 'Environment' on Jan 28, 2009 (CET)
EU’s 2009 Priorities For Environmental Policies
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has targeted some specific goals to work toward in 2009. First on their agenda is hammering out a successful sequel to the Kyoto Protocol. Those discussions will be wrapping up in Copenhagen in December 2009. Next on the list is trying to adapt to climate change and finding solutions to water management concerns.
Other important issues under consideration for discussion and analysis this year include a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), improving air quality, and reducing impacts of biofuels.
With regard to how CAP funds are distributed, the EEA feels the program doesn’t do enough to achieve its objectives. It would like to see the policy broaden its scope and intent to financially support farmland that is “particularly rich in habitats and species of conservation concern.” Farms that are considered intensive are not supporters of biodiversity and don’t utilize the CAP funds to any great extent.
The EEA also wants to make the point that transitioning to biofuels from oil is not free of risk. Considering particularly the change in land use if large-scale bioenergy manufacturing were to occur, the group believes risk is there. Therefore, the group wants to encourage European countries to advance their research into second-generation biofuels to provide a backdrop of the effects on biodiversity, water, soil, and emissions of carbon dioxide.
Another area of interest to the EEA is the impact of omnipresent alien species which are being introduced to Europe’s ecosystems with regard to timber quality, agricultural yields, and Europe’s all-encompassing biodiversity. International waste imports and exports is another subject that is sure to be at the heart of many debates, along with marine management.
EEA Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade ended a speech she gave with this sentence: “Greenhouse gas emissions are just one symptom of a much deeper issue: our ability to live sustainably.” That is, as they say, the problem in a nutshell.
Sherry Irvin
on behalf of the
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