Eco-labelling and Emission rights
In the radio today the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation criticise our Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt for his statement to abolish the carbon dioxide taxation if the transport sector will be included in a system for emission rights in Europe. The criticism is right if the transport sector just would be added to the present system. But if it was to be a new structure of the system with emission rights the minister could be right? In such a new system there are some challenges to handle. I’m not convinced that the tool with emission rights is that good as presumed. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation sells emission rights (in second hand) to private persons for 350 SEK per ton carbon dioxide. The idea is that by this one will keep the emission rights from being used by the industry and by that reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. A Swede emits in average 6 ton of CO2. One ton of CO2 correspond to a 5000 km journey by car. But can you “buy a clean conscious” from the Society from Nature Conservation? I mean the system handle the industry emission, not the transport sector where the average Swede has most of his CO2 emissions. The industry has to save emission but the private person can still drive the car as much as earlier. And that’s because the transport sector isn’t included in the system with emission rights.
At the same time the European Union’s agriculture ministers have met and agreed upon a new eco-labelling of ecological food. The Swedish minister, Eskil Erlandsson agreed, although he thought it would be a burden for the Swedish small scale producers. The new eco-labelling system will be started in 2009. The association of ecological farmers has protested. The minister says there’s a worry about that the already established labelling will be affected.