Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In this regard, the European Union has already started work by proposing the
Energy Roadmap 2050,
3
which is considered as a point of departure for advancing
towards a sustainable energy model. In this document, Europe aims to reduce GHG
emission levels by 85
90 % from 1990 levels.
This chapter comprises an introduction and sections on
-
ve main aspects of
energy policy:
The second section is devoted to policies designed to bring down CO
2
emis-
sions, focussing on the EU ETS.
The third section looks at the environmental and energy tax framework in
Europe.
The fourth section addresses the frameworks in place for supporting renewable
energies.
The
fth explores regulations to promote energy ef
ciency.
The last section summarises main conclusions of the previous sections.
2 Analysis of the Main European Regulatory Instruments
on Energy Issues
2.1 Description of the EU ETS
The European Council of March 2007 set a target of reducing EU GHG emissions
by 20 % from 1990 levels by 2020, i.e. a 14 % reduction on 2005 levels. This was
to be split between the sectors subject to emissions trading,
4
which committed to a
21 % reduction target, and the remaining sectors (also referred to as
”
sectors) for which the target was 10 % at European level. In this case, a Decision
5
by the European Commission allocated the targets to Member States according to
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each one.
In industry the key regulatory instrument for reducing emissions is the EU ETS,
which was set up in 2005 under the terms of the Emissions Trading Directive [
5
]
(2003/87/EC).
This
“
diffuse
rst Directive laid the foundations for emissions trading, de
ning the basic
emissions limits authorised in order to create scarcity, de
ning what activities were
3
This document is under review because many of the economic and technological scenarios
described are now out of date and probably no longer apply.
4
This framework includes energy generation industries and industrial sectors with a high level of
energy consumption, e.g. power plants over 20 MW, hydrocarbon re
neries, coke ovens, steel
production facilities, cement production facilities, paper manufacture operations, glass manufac-
ture operations, ceramics plants, etc.
5
Decision 406/2009/EC of 23 April 2009 on the effort of Member States to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Community
'
s greenhouse gas emission reduction com-
mitments up to 2020.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search