Yesterday’s meeting for Environment ministers of the European Union

When the ministers meet yesterday they handled the issue about the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). The idea is to put seven other directives together in one directive, the IED. One of the other directives involved is the IPPC directive, Integrated Pollution Prevention Directive and that one haven’t been that easy to supervise for the regional or local authority. I wonder if the ministers are at all aware of the implications of the change will have for the authorities that are in charge of supervision? This time I hope the integration of the directives in one will be in favour for the supervision, but I haven’t done an elaboration on that. The Swedish position by the minister will be that this can be taken for the parts which deals with ground, best available technique BAT and for big incineration energy plants. Hopefully, the change will make the supervision of the directive easier and at least not more difficult than it already are.....

Pessimism about negotiations about green house gases

How will they (heads of governments) succeed with next Climate agreement? I listened to the Swedish negotiator Lars-Erik Liljelund last week and I must say that he was rather pessimistic. He thought the negotiations wouldn’t be solved before the heads of governments sits down and possible not at all. There hasn’t been that much of real progress since 2001 and the Kyoto agreement. But of course a lot of talk and promises.

Today I read about what the Japanese Prime minister said yesterday; they are only ready to decrease their emissions of greenhouse gases by 15 % in 2020 counted from 2005. Calculating from1990 that’s only 2% more to accomplish, than what they promised in the Kyoto agreement from 1997.The Japanese government ought to be a shame, the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases and on of the large economies in the world, not performing better Climate politics. I share the pessimism with Lars-Erik Liljelund.