Spanish Presidency of the European Union

Presentation of Roadmap 2050 Report Espinosa calls for evaluation of environmental costs of all political and economic decisions taken, to help overcome crisis.

09-06-2010

EFE

Spain's Minister of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa, said today that Europe's new growth model must take into account the environmental cost of all decisions, and that it will be impossible to overcome the crisis without incorporating environmental protection into all political and economic initiatives.





Espinosa made her comments at the close of an event in Spain to present the Roadmap 2050 report, which sets out the roadmap for achieving the EU's objective of cutting European emissions by 80-90% by 2050.

The report was presented by Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of the Europe Climate Foundation, the institution that drew it up. It gives a detailed political, economic and technical analysis of the various energy options for achieving the target of zero emissions.

In her speech at the event, Espinosa stressed the importance of evaluating the environmental impact of all political and economic decisions at international, national and local level, in order to lay firm foundations for a new growth model.

"It is impossible to conceive of either a future model or a way of emerging from the current crisis in the short term without incorporating environmental protection as a cross-cutting factor in decision-making, with this being properly evaluated in each of our areas of political and economic action", she said.

The minister said the Roadmap 2050 is proof of the EU's leadership in the battle against climate change, since it involves acting responsibly internally while also pushing other countries to take a stand in international talks.

She also stressed that the document "shows us that the reduction challenge is achievable, both in terms of technology and cost, with various possible combinations of energy technologies".

The CEO of the Europe Climate Foundation, Jules Kortenhorst, explained that the study analyses the costs and utility of achieving zero carbon emissions in the EU's energy supply. It involved studying various models for meeting European requirements, combining energies such as wind, solar and geothermal power.

External resources


* Link to the official Roadmap 2050 site

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