Tuesday 5 April 2011

EC Energy Roadmap Points More Than One Way

And not just to a 'low- carbon future'. Here it is, long in the drafting and keenly awaited: but slipped out last month to no great fanfare at all, what with Libya and Fukushima and the rest.

But it's not without interest. Let's just identify one undercurrent.

It was heralded as being a roadmap for a low-carbon energy system in 2050: this became
a low-carbon future or a low-carbon economy. But as published, it's a competitive low-carbon economy, and it contains the following interesting sentiments.

"competitiveness concerns ... if the EU's main competitors would not engage in a similar manner, the EU would need to consider how to further address the risks of carbon leakage due to additional costs [on Europe] ... there will be a need to continue to monitor the impacts of these measures on the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries in relation to efforts by third countries, and to consider appropriate measures where necessary ... including on the inclusion of imports into the ETS ... The Commission remains vigilant in order to maintain a strong industrial base in the EU"

A straw in the wind-turbine ? I detect a harder-nosed attitude in the Commission than some give it credit for (Oettinger again ?) The 'competitiveness' strand isn't the only indication of this in the Roadmap, and the renewables lobby is getting the wind up (sorry...). One more time: GDP trumps GHG ...

ND

3 comments:

Budgie said...

I hope you are right that GDP trumps GHG. On its own, though, that sentiment indicates a touching faith in the common sense of politicians. I do not have such faith.

If GDP does top GHG it will be solely the result of those of us, from total laymen, to informed blogs like Bishop Hill and Watts Up With That, to the morally strong scientists who have exposed CAGW (defined as only man made CO2 causing catastrophic global warming) as the fraud it is. The politicians are still trapped in true CAGW mode, I am sorry to say.

Old BE said...

I reckon nuclear-powered cars are the answer.

Budgie said...

BE - Back to the Future?