EU energy targets slammed - Friends of the Earth
22 January 2014by foeeurope -- last modified 22 January 2014
EU plans to tackle climate change by 2030, announced in Brussels today (Wednesday 22 January 2014), have been slammed by Friends of the Earth.
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The environmental campaigning charity says the weak EU action plan will undermine international efforts to agree an effective plan to combat global warming, ahead of crucial talks in Paris in 2015.
Friends of the Earth's International Climate Campaigner Asad Rehman said:
"Climate change is one of the biggest threats we face, but instead of putting action to tackle it at the heart of its policy making, the EU has effectively kicked it into the side lines.
"Building a low carbon Europe would not only be good for the environment, it would also create thousands of jobs and boost the economy, as the EU's own research so clearly shows.
"Households across Europe are paying a heavy price for our dependency on dirty and increasingly costly fossil fuels – it's time for a fresh approach to the huge challenges we face.
"The EU has turned its back on its citizens and acted to protect the financial interests of dirty energy companies who have been given the green light to carry on polluting."
Commenting on the European Commission's proposals on fracking, Friends of the Earth Energy Campaigner Tony Bosworth said:
"The EU's failure to introduce binding regulations for fracking shows a real disregard for the environmental risks faced by communities across Europe.
"The UK Government must take much of the blame for this – it proclaims the benefit of regulation at home but has led the charge against action in Brussels".
Friends of the Earth Europe is the largest grassroots environmental network in Europe, uniting more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups.
Friends of the Earth