What is the EU doing?

A variety of climate control initiatives have been implemented both at EU and national levels. To reach the emission reductions set by the Kyoto Protocol, the European Commission launched the European Climate Change Programme in March 2000. Under this umbrella, the Commission works with industry, environmental organisations and other stakeholders to identify cost-effective measures to reduce emissions. More than 30 measures have been put in place.

A cornerstone of EU climate change policies is the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) launched on 1 January 2005. EU governments have set limits on how much CO2 some 10,500 power plants and energy-intensive factories are allowed to emit each year. These plants account for almost half of the EU’s CO2 emissions. Those plants that emit less CO2 than they are allowed to can sell the unused emission quotas to other factories that are not doing that well.

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