Climate change.
Date: 2010-11-18
Institutions: Directorate-General for Climate Action
Subjects: EU environmental policy, climate change, environmental impact, greenhouse gas, pollution control measures, reduction of gas emissions

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Greenhouse gases 
The Kyoto Protocol limits developed 
countries’ emissions of six GHG 
released by human activities:

•  Carbon dioxide (CO2). The most 
important greenhouse gas 
released by human activities in 
terms of quantity, it is emitted by 
combustion – of fossil fuels, wood 
or anything else containing carbon 
– but is also absorbed by plants 
and trees.

•  Methane (CH4). Releases come from 
a wide range of natural sources 
and human activities, including 
fossil-fuel production, livestock 
husbandry, rice cultivation and 
waste management.

•  Nitrous oxide (N2O). Emission 
sources are fertilisers, fossil-
fuel combustion and industrial 
chemical production using 
nitrogen.

•  Three types of ﬂ uorinated gases 
developed speciﬁ cally for industrial 
applications: Hydroﬂ uorocarbons 
(HFCs), Perﬂ uorocarbons (PFCs) 
and Sulphur hexaﬂ uoride (SF6). 
The EU wants to see more 
ﬂ uorinated gases controlled 
under the future global climate 
agreement: nitrogen triﬂ uoride 
(NF3), certain hydroﬂ uoroethers 
and perﬂ uoroethers, and certain 
additional HFCs and PFCs. 

Certain other industrial gases, such 
as chloroﬂ uorocarbons (CFCs) and 
hydrochloroﬂ uorocarbons (HCFCs), 
contribute to both global warming 
and the depletion of the ozone layer. 
They are not covered by the Kyoto 
Protocol as they are being phased 
out under the Montreal Protocol on 
protecting the ozone layer.

The EU Emissions
Trading System (EU ETS)

To help reduce emissions most cost-eﬀ ectively, the EU has developed 
the world’s largest company-level system for trading in allowances to 
emit GHG. The ‘cap-and-trade’ system limits emissions from around 
11 000 large emitters in the power-generation industry and in other energy-
intensive industrial sectors across the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, 
Liechtenstein and Norway.

These installations, accounting for some 40% of total EU GHG emissions, 
receive allowances to emit a certain tonnage of GHG each year. Those that 
emit less can sell their surplus allowances. Those that expect to emit more 
than their allowances cover can either invest in measures or technologies to 
reduce their emissions or buy additional allowances on the market to cover 
some or all of their excess. This ability to trade within the limits of the overall 
‘cap’ on emissions creates ﬂ exibility, ensuring that emissions are cut where 
it is cheapest to do so and investments directed to where they buy the 
greatest emission savings.

The cap on overall emissions is being reduced over time. It is currently 
some 6.5% below the 2005 level and by 2020 will be 21% lower. From 
2012, the EU ETS will include emissions from airline ﬂ ights to and from EU 
airports. In 2013, a reform of the EU ETS will come into eﬀ ect, strengthening 
the system and making it more eﬃ  cient. Companies will have to buy a 
progressively larger share of their emission allowances through auctions 
instead of receiving most of them for free, as is the case now.

(cid:3)   While cutting emissions, 

we must also adapt to climate change

Even if the world cuts GHG emissions sharply, climate change will become more severe 
for decades to come because of the delayed eﬀ ect of past emissions. Adapting to climate 
change has therefore become an indispensable complement to reducing emissions.

Adaptation  means  anticipating  the  adverse  impacts  of  climate  change  and  acting 
to  prevent  or  minimise  the  damage  they  can  cause.  Early  action  will  save  costs  later. 
Examples  of  adaptation  measures  include  developing  crops  that  can  tolerate  drought 
and strengthening coastal ﬂ ood defences against sea level rise.

The  poorest  developing  countries  are  especially  vulnerable  to  climate  change.  As  the 
world’s largest aid donor, the EU is giving them ﬁ nancial and other support to help with 
adaptation, including through the ‘fast-start’ funding agreed in Copenhagen. 

In  Europe  itself,  adaptation  is  needed  at  all  levels,  from  the  European  right  down  to 
the local   level. The European Commission has set out a framework for strengthening 
Europe’s resilience to climate change with a view to establishing a comprehensive EU 
adaptation strategy by 2013.

Useful resources: 
European Commission Climate Action website: 
www.ec.europa.eu/clima

European Environment Agency climate change pages:
http://themes.eea.eu.int/Environmental_issues/climate

UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol website:
www.unfccc.int

© European Union, 2010
Reproduction is authorised provided 
the source is acknowledged.

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Climate change

EN

October 2010

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(cid:2)  ‘Greenhouse’ gases emitted by human activities are 

warming the Earth, causing changes to the global climate 
that will have increasingly severe human, economic and 
environmental impacts over the coming decades.

(cid:2)  The Kyoto Protocol is an important ﬁ rst step towards 

limiting greenhouse gas emissions but now a strong and 
legally binding United Nations framework involving action 
by all major economies is needed to stop global warming 
from reaching dangerous levels. This global deal should 
build on the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, which recognises 
the need to keep global warming to less than 2°C above 
the pre-industrial level (about 1.2°C above today’s 
temperature). 

(cid:2)  Long in the vanguard of international eﬀ orts to combat 
climate change, the European Union has put in place an 
ambitious package of measures to cut its emissions by 20% 
by 2020 and is committed to increasing this reduction to 
30% when the conditions are right. For the long term, the 
EU has also set itself the goal of reducing its emissions to 
80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050. 

(cid:2)  In parallel with cutting emissions, Europe and the rest of 
the world need to adapt to current and future changes in 
the climate. Adaptation measures can increase society’s 
resilience to climate change and so reduce its impacts 
and costs. 

ENV-10-026_factsheet-climate-change_EN.indd   1-2

08/11/10   11:51

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(cid:3) Climate change is happening now …
There  is  unequivocal  evidence  that  the  Earth’s  climate  is  warming. 
By 2005, the average global temperature was 0.76°C above the level 
in pre-industrial times, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel 
on Climate Change (IPCC), which brings together hundreds of the 
world’s leading experts. The average temperature is rising by around 
0.2°C every 10 years. The decade 2000-2009 was the warmest since 
reliable records began in 1880. 

The vast majority of the world’s leading climate experts attribute this 
warming mainly to a build-up of ‘greenhouse’ gases (GHG) emitted 
by  human  activities,  in  particular  the  burning  of  fossil  fuels  –  coal, 
oil and gas – and the destruction of forests. Greenhouse gases are 
so called because they trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere in the 
same way as the glass of a greenhouse. 

Today,  the  atmospheric  concentration  of  carbon  dioxide  (CO2), 
the  most  important  greenhouse  gas,  is  at  its  highest  level  for 
650 000 years, analyses of gases trapped in ice cores indicate. 

This  man-made  warming  is  causing  discernible  climatic  and 
environmental changes, such as more frequent extreme weather, 
rising sea levels, and melting glaciers and polar ice. In the longer 
term,  these  changes  threaten  to  cause  serious  damage  to  our 
economies and the environment we depend on, putting the lives 
of millions of people in danger and causing the extinction of animal 
and plant species.

The  27  EU  member  countries  are  responsible  for  around  12%  of 
world  GHG  emissions.  More  than  80%  of  the  EU’s  emissions  come 
from the production and use of energy, including in transport.  

(cid:3)  … and will become dangerous 

without urgent action 

The  IPCC  projects  that  the  Earth  is  likely  to  warm  by  a  further 
1.8°-4°C this century, and in the worst case by as much as 6.4°C, 
unless the world acts to cut GHG emissions. 

Even  an  increase  at  the  lower  end  of  this  range  would  raise  the 
global  average  temperature  by  more  than  2°C  compared  with 
pre-industrial  times.  Scientiﬁ c  evidence  suggests  that  beyond 

Sources of EU greenhouse gas emissions 

Agriculture
10%

Waste and other
3%

Energy supply
31%

Industry
20%

Households 
and commercial 
buildings
12%

Transport
24%

Source: European Environment Agency
Note: The category ‘households and commercial buildings’ shows 
emissions from fuel used directly but not from the use of electricity 
and heat produced by the power sector.

this level (equivalent to around 1.2°C above today’s temperature) 
the  impacts  of  climate  change  could  become  far  more  severe 
and  dangerous. The  EU  has  thus  long  argued  for  limiting  global 
warming  to  2°C,  and  the  need  to  do  so  is  recognised  in  the 
December 2009 Copenhagen Accord.  

Preventing  global  warming  from  exceeding  this  threshold  is 
both  technologically  feasible  and  economically  aﬀ ordable  if  the 
world takes strong action in the near future. The cost is estimated 
at  around  1%  of  global  GDP. This  is  far  less  than  letting  climate 
change  take  its  destructive  course,  which  is  expected  to  cost  at 
least 5% of global GDP and could reach 20% or more in the long 
term – with an economic impact equivalent to the world wars of 
the 20th century. 

Moreover, building the low-carbon global economy that is needed 
to  prevent  dangerous  climate  change  will  stimulate  innovation 
in  clean  technologies,  such  as  renewable  energy  and  energy 
eﬃ  ciency,  thus  creating  new  sources  of  economic  growth  and 
jobs,  and  will  strengthen  Europe’s  energy  security  by  reducing 
dependence on imports. 

(cid:3) The Kyoto Protocol is a ﬁ rst step …
Two  major  international  agreements  have  been  adopted  to 
address  climate  change:  the  1992  United  Nations  Framework 
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 1997 Kyoto 
Protocol.  Both  are  based  on  the  principle  that  industrialised 
countries should take the lead in combating climate change as 
they are responsible for the bulk of emissions since the Industrial 
Revolution and have greater ﬁ nancial resources.

The UNFCCC, which has been ratiﬁ ed by 193 countries and the 
European  Union,  establishes  a  framework  for  international  co-
operation  on  climate  change  with  the  ultimate  objective  of 
preventing  dangerous  man-made  interference  with  the  global 
climate system.

The Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed in 1997 and entered into 
force  in  2005,  is  a  ﬁ rst  step  towards  reversing  the  global  trend 
of rising emissions. The Protocol sets legally binding targets for 
37 industrialised countries to reduce their emissions of six GHG 
by an average of 5% by 2012 (see column on p.4). Among these 
countries only the United States has not ratiﬁ ed the Protocol.

Under Kyoto, the 15 older EU Member States (‘EU-15’) took on 
a  target  of  cutting  their  collective  emissions  to  8%  below  the 
level  in  their  chosen  base  year  (1990  in  most  cases)  by  2012. 
This  shared  target  has  been  translated  into  a  speciﬁ c  legally 
binding target for each member country based on its capacity 
to curb emissions. Most of the 12 countries that joined the EU in 
2004 and 2007 also have national reduction targets of 6% or 8%. 
Only Cyprus and Malta have no Kyoto targets. 

The EU-15 is on course to overachieve its target: in 2009 emissions 
are  estimated  to  have  been  almost  13%  below  base  year  levels, 
while  combined  emissions  from  all  27  Member  States  were  just 
over 17% lower. 

(cid:3)  … but now a much more ambitious 

global pact is needed 

The  world’s  GHG  emissions  must  be  sharply  reduced  over  the 
coming  decades  to  prevent  dangerous  climate  change.  The  EU 
wants  an  ambitious,  comprehensive  and  legally  binding  global 

framework  to  be  established  that  requires  action  by  all  major  economies. 
This  must  include  the  United  States  and  the  big  emerging  economies  in  the 
developing world. Together, China and the US account for almost half of global 
GHG emissions today. 

United Nations negotiations were launched at the end of 2007 with the goal of 
ﬁ nalising a global framework for combating climate change at the Copenhagen 
climate  conference  in  December  2009. The  Copenhagen  conference  did  not 
complete  the  negotiations  but  produced  the  Copenhagen  Accord,  a  political 
document which is supported by some 140 nations and the EU. 

The  Copenhagen  Accord  provides  important  political  guidance  for  the  UN 
negotiations  and  recognises  the  need  to  limit  global  warming  to  less  than 
2°C  above  the  pre-industrial  temperature.  Under  the  Accord,  more  than 
75 developed and developing countries have notiﬁ ed targets or actions to limit 
or reduce their emissions, although these pledges are not yet suﬃ  cient to stay 
below 2°C. 

The  Accord  commits  developed  countries  to  provide  substantial  ﬁ nancial 
support  to  help  developing  nations  combat  climate  change:  ‘fast-start’ 
ﬁ nancing of nearly US$ 30 billion over the 2010-2012 period, of which almost 
one-third  will  come  from  the  EU  alone,  and  US$  100  billion  dollars  a  year  by 
2020  if  developing  countries  take  meaningful  and  transparent  action  to  limit 
their emissions. The Accord establishes a Copenhagen Green Climate Fund to 
support developing countries in reducing their emissions, including those from 
tropical deforestation and forest degradation, which are estimated to account 
for 12-20% of global emissions.

The EU wants to see the UN negotiations move in steps towards establishing a 
global framework for climate action as soon as possible. They need to incorporate 
and build on the political guidance contained in the Copenhagen Accord. 

(cid:3)   The European Union is leading the ﬁ ght 

against climate change

Long in the forefront of international eﬀ orts to tackle climate change, the European 
Union is committed to becoming a highly energy-eﬃ  cient, low-carbon economy. 
It has set itself some of the world’s most ambitious climate and energy targets for 
2020 and is the only region that has passed binding legislation to ensure they are 
achieved. 

A package of measures agreed in 2008 will reduce GHG emissions to 20% below 
1990 levels by 2020 and also ensure that by then at least 20% of the EU’s energy 
comes from renewable sources like wind and solar – more than twice the share 
at that time. A series of measures is also being implemented to improve energy 
eﬃ  ciency by 20% by the same deadline. 

This  set  of  actions  will  strengthen  the  EU’s  energy  security  by  reducing 
reliance  on  oil  and  gas  imports.  It  also  promises  to  spur  innovation  in  clean 
technologies, creating sustainable sources of economic growth and jobs. Thanks 
to  the  renewable  energy  target,  the  number  of  people  in  the  EU  working  in 
the  renewable  energy  sector  and  the  sectors  that  support  it  will  grow  from 
1.4 million in 2005 to more than 3.5 million in 2020. 

The  EU  is  also  oﬀ ering  to  scale  up  its  GHG  emissions  reduction  for  2020  from 
20% to 30% if other developed countries take on their fair share of a worldwide 
emissions eﬀ ort. And for the long term, Europe has ﬁ xed the goal of reducing its 
emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050. 

The  keystone  of  the  EU’s  climate  strategy  is  the  EU  Emissions  Trading  System 
(EU  ETS),  launched  in  2005.  The  world’s  ﬁ rst  and  biggest  international  GHG 
emissions  trading  system,  the  EU  ETS  has  made  climate  change  a  boardroom 
issue for companies by putting a price on their carbon emissions. A strengthened 
system  from  2013  will  play  a  central  role  in  achieving  the  Union’s  climate  and 
energy targets for 2020 and beyond.

Some current and 
future impacts of 
climate change
•  The polar ice caps are melting, 
sea levels rising and glaciers 
retreating. Sea-level rise threatens 
the existence of low-lying island 
states and coastal communities. 
The melting of glaciers is putting 
millions of people at risk of ﬂ oods 
and will eventually deprive them of 
water resources. 

•  Extreme weather events, such as 
ﬂ oods, droughts and heatwaves, 
are becoming more frequent, more 
severe and more costly in some 
parts of the world. Their impacts 
include reduced water availability 
and crop yields, jeopardising food 
production.

•  Climate change will have direct 
impacts on human health. 
For instance, the summer 
2003 heatwave in southern 
Europe contributed to the 
premature deaths of as many as 
70 000 people. Global warming 
may encourage the spread of 
tropical diseases such as malaria 
and dengue.

•  Climate change is exacerbating 
other human pressures on nature. 
Some 20-30% of plant and animal 
species may be at increased risk 
of extinction if the global average 
temperature increases by more 
than 1.5-2.5°C above 1980-
1999 levels. Coral reefs, which are 
crucial ‘nurseries’ for ﬁ sh and other 
marine life, are already suﬀ ering 
extensive damage at current levels 
of warming. 

•  Through its impact on water 
resources and food production, 
climate change could threaten 
regional and international security 
by triggering or exacerbating 
conﬂ icts, famines and refugee 
movements. 

ENV-10-026_factsheet-climate-change_EN.indd   3-4

08/11/10   11:51

(cid:3) Climate change is happening now …
There  is  unequivocal  evidence  that  the  Earth’s  climate  is  warming. 
By 2005, the average global temperature was 0.76°C above the level 
in pre-industrial times, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel 
on Climate Change (IPCC), which brings together hundreds of the 
world’s leading experts. The average temperature is rising by around 
0.2°C every 10 years. The decade 2000-2009 was the warmest since 
reliable records began in 1880. 

The vast majority of the world’s leading climate experts attribute this 
warming mainly to a build-up of ‘greenhouse’ gases (GHG) emitted 
by  human  activities,  in  particular  the  burning  of  fossil  fuels  –  coal, 
oil and gas – and the destruction of forests. Greenhouse gases are 
so called because they trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere in the 
same way as the glass of a greenhouse. 

Today,  the  atmospheric  concentration  of  carbon  dioxide  (CO2), 
the  most  important  greenhouse  gas,  is  at  its  highest  level  for 
650 000 years, analyses of gases trapped in ice cores indicate. 

This  man-made  warming  is  causing  discernible  climatic  and 
environmental changes, such as more frequent extreme weather, 
rising sea levels, and melting glaciers and polar ice. In the longer 
term,  these  changes  threaten  to  cause  serious  damage  to  our 
economies and the environment we depend on, putting the lives 
of millions of people in danger and causing the extinction of animal 
and plant species.

The  27  EU  member  countries  are  responsible  for  around  12%  of 
world  GHG  emissions.  More  than  80%  of  the  EU’s  emissions  come 
from the production and use of energy, including in transport.  

(cid:3)  … and will become dangerous 

without urgent action 

The  IPCC  projects  that  the  Earth  is  likely  to  warm  by  a  further 
1.8°-4°C this century, and in the worst case by as much as 6.4°C, 
unless the world acts to cut GHG emissions. 

Even  an  increase  at  the  lower  end  of  this  range  would  raise  the 
global  average  temperature  by  more  than  2°C  compared  with 
pre-industrial  times.  Scientiﬁ c  evidence  suggests  that  beyond 

Sources of EU greenhouse gas emissions 

Agriculture
10%

Waste and other
3%

Energy supply
31%

Industry
20%

Households 
and commercial 
buildings
12%

Transport
24%

Source: European Environment Agency
Note: The category ‘households and commercial buildings’ shows 
emissions from fuel used directly but not from the use of electricity 
and heat produced by the power sector.

this level (equivalent to around 1.2°C above today’s temperature) 
the  impacts  of  climate  change  could  become  far  more  severe 
and  dangerous. The  EU  has  thus  long  argued  for  limiting  global 
warming  to  2°C,  and  the  need  to  do  so  is  recognised  in  the 
December 2009 Copenhagen Accord.  

Preventing  global  warming  from  exceeding  this  threshold  is 
both  technologically  feasible  and  economically  aﬀ ordable  if  the 
world takes strong action in the near future. The cost is estimated 
at  around  1%  of  global  GDP. This  is  far  less  than  letting  climate 
change  take  its  destructive  course,  which  is  expected  to  cost  at 
least 5% of global GDP and could reach 20% or more in the long 
term – with an economic impact equivalent to the world wars of 
the 20th century. 

Moreover, building the low-carbon global economy that is needed 
to  prevent  dangerous  climate  change  will  stimulate  innovation 
in  clean  technologies,  such  as  renewable  energy  and  energy 
eﬃ  ciency,  thus  creating  new  sources  of  economic  growth  and 
jobs,  and  will  strengthen  Europe’s  energy  security  by  reducing 
dependence on imports. 

(cid:3) The Kyoto Protocol is a ﬁ rst step …
Two  major  international  agreements  have  been  adopted  to 
address  climate  change:  the  1992  United  Nations  Framework 
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 1997 Kyoto 
Protocol.  Both  are  based  on  the  principle  that  industrialised 
countries should take the lead in combating climate change as 
they are responsible for the bulk of emissions since the Industrial 
Revolution and have greater ﬁ nancial resources.

The UNFCCC, which has been ratiﬁ ed by 193 countries and the 
European  Union,  establishes  a  framework  for  international  co-
operation  on  climate  change  with  the  ultimate  objective  of 
preventing  dangerous  man-made  interference  with  the  global 
climate system.

The Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed in 1997 and entered into 
force  in  2005,  is  a  ﬁ rst  step  towards  reversing  the  global  trend 
of rising emissions. The Protocol sets legally binding targets for 
37 industrialised countries to reduce their emissions of six GHG 
by an average of 5% by 2012 (see column on p.4). Among these 
countries only the United States has not ratiﬁ ed the Protocol.

Under Kyoto, the 15 older EU Member States (‘EU-15’) took on 
a  target  of  cutting  their  collective  emissions  to  8%  below  the 
level  in  their  chosen  base  year  (1990  in  most  cases)  by  2012. 
This  shared  target  has  been  translated  into  a  speciﬁ c  legally 
binding target for each member country based on its capacity 
to curb emissions. Most of the 12 countries that joined the EU in 
2004 and 2007 also have national reduction targets of 6% or 8%. 
Only Cyprus and Malta have no Kyoto targets. 

The EU-15 is on course to overachieve its target: in 2009 emissions 
are  estimated  to  have  been  almost  13%  below  base  year  levels, 
while  combined  emissions  from  all  27  Member  States  were  just 
over 17% lower. 

(cid:3)  … but now a much more ambitious 

global pact is needed 

The  world’s  GHG  emissions  must  be  sharply  reduced  over  the 
coming  decades  to  prevent  dangerous  climate  change.  The  EU 
wants  an  ambitious,  comprehensive  and  legally  binding  global 

framework  to  be  established  that  requires  action  by  all  major  economies. 
This  must  include  the  United  States  and  the  big  emerging  economies  in  the 
developing world. Together, China and the US account for almost half of global 
GHG emissions today. 

United Nations negotiations were launched at the end of 2007 with the goal of 
ﬁ nalising a global framework for combating climate change at the Copenhagen 
climate  conference  in  December  2009. The  Copenhagen  conference  did  not 
complete  the  negotiations  but  produced  the  Copenhagen  Accord,  a  political 
document which is supported by some 140 nations and the EU. 

The  Copenhagen  Accord  provides  important  political  guidance  for  the  UN 
negotiations  and  recognises  the  need  to  limit  global  warming  to  less  than 
2°C  above  the  pre-industrial  temperature.  Under  the  Accord,  more  than 
75 developed and developing countries have notiﬁ ed targets or actions to limit 
or reduce their emissions, although these pledges are not yet suﬃ  cient to stay 
below 2°C. 

The  Accord  commits  developed  countries  to  provide  substantial  ﬁ nancial 
support  to  help  developing  nations  combat  climate  change:  ‘fast-start’ 
ﬁ nancing of nearly US$ 30 billion over the 2010-2012 period, of which almost 
one-third  will  come  from  the  EU  alone,  and  US$  100  billion  dollars  a  year  by 
2020  if  developing  countries  take  meaningful  and  transparent  action  to  limit 
their emissions. The Accord establishes a Copenhagen Green Climate Fund to 
support developing countries in reducing their emissions, including those from 
tropical deforestation and forest degradation, which are estimated to account 
for 12-20% of global emissions.

The EU wants to see the UN negotiations move in steps towards establishing a 
global framework for climate action as soon as possible. They need to incorporate 
and build on the political guidance contained in the Copenhagen Accord. 

(cid:3)   The European Union is leading the ﬁ ght 

against climate change

Long in the forefront of international eﬀ orts to tackle climate change, the European 
Union is committed to becoming a highly energy-eﬃ  cient, low-carbon economy. 
It has set itself some of the world’s most ambitious climate and energy targets for 
2020 and is the only region that has passed binding legislation to ensure they are 
achieved. 

A package of measures agreed in 2008 will reduce GHG emissions to 20% below 
1990 levels by 2020 and also ensure that by then at least 20% of the EU’s energy 
comes from renewable sources like wind and solar – more than twice the share 
at that time. A series of measures is also being implemented to improve energy 
eﬃ  ciency by 20% by the same deadline. 

This  set  of  actions  will  strengthen  the  EU’s  energy  security  by  reducing 
reliance  on  oil  and  gas  imports.  It  also  promises  to  spur  innovation  in  clean 
technologies, creating sustainable sources of economic growth and jobs. Thanks 
to  the  renewable  energy  target,  the  number  of  people  in  the  EU  working  in 
the  renewable  energy  sector  and  the  sectors  that  support  it  will  grow  from 
1.4 million in 2005 to more than 3.5 million in 2020. 

The  EU  is  also  oﬀ ering  to  scale  up  its  GHG  emissions  reduction  for  2020  from 
20% to 30% if other developed countries take on their fair share of a worldwide 
emissions eﬀ ort. And for the long term, Europe has ﬁ xed the goal of reducing its 
emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050. 

The  keystone  of  the  EU’s  climate  strategy  is  the  EU  Emissions  Trading  System 
(EU  ETS),  launched  in  2005.  The  world’s  ﬁ rst  and  biggest  international  GHG 
emissions  trading  system,  the  EU  ETS  has  made  climate  change  a  boardroom 
issue for companies by putting a price on their carbon emissions. A strengthened 
system  from  2013  will  play  a  central  role  in  achieving  the  Union’s  climate  and 
energy targets for 2020 and beyond.

Some current and 
future impacts of 
climate change
•  The polar ice caps are melting, 
sea levels rising and glaciers 
retreating. Sea-level rise threatens 
the existence of low-lying island 
states and coastal communities. 
The melting of glaciers is putting 
millions of people at risk of ﬂ oods 
and will eventually deprive them of 
water resources. 

•  Extreme weather events, such as 
ﬂ oods, droughts and heatwaves, 
are becoming more frequent, more 
severe and more costly in some 
parts of the world. Their impacts 
include reduced water availability 
and crop yields, jeopardising food 
production.

•  Climate change will have direct 
impacts on human health. 
For instance, the summer 
2003 heatwave in southern 
Europe contributed to the 
premature deaths of as many as 
70 000 people. Global warming 
may encourage the spread of 
tropical diseases such as malaria 
and dengue.

•  Climate change is exacerbating 
other human pressures on nature. 
Some 20-30% of plant and animal 
species may be at increased risk 
of extinction if the global average 
temperature increases by more 
than 1.5-2.5°C above 1980-
1999 levels. Coral reefs, which are 
crucial ‘nurseries’ for ﬁ sh and other 
marine life, are already suﬀ ering 
extensive damage at current levels 
of warming. 

•  Through its impact on water 
resources and food production, 
climate change could threaten 
regional and international security 
by triggering or exacerbating 
conﬂ icts, famines and refugee 
movements. 

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Greenhouse gases 
The Kyoto Protocol limits developed 
countries’ emissions of six GHG 
released by human activities:

•  Carbon dioxide (CO2). The most 
important greenhouse gas 
released by human activities in 
terms of quantity, it is emitted by 
combustion – of fossil fuels, wood 
or anything else containing carbon 
– but is also absorbed by plants 
and trees.

•  Methane (CH4). Releases come from 
a wide range of natural sources 
and human activities, including 
fossil-fuel production, livestock 
husbandry, rice cultivation and 
waste management.

•  Nitrous oxide (N2O). Emission 
sources are fertilisers, fossil-
fuel combustion and industrial 
chemical production using 
nitrogen.

•  Three types of ﬂ uorinated gases 
developed speciﬁ cally for industrial 
applications: Hydroﬂ uorocarbons 
(HFCs), Perﬂ uorocarbons (PFCs) 
and Sulphur hexaﬂ uoride (SF6). 
The EU wants to see more 
ﬂ uorinated gases controlled 
under the future global climate 
agreement: nitrogen triﬂ uoride 
(NF3), certain hydroﬂ uoroethers 
and perﬂ uoroethers, and certain 
additional HFCs and PFCs. 

Certain other industrial gases, such 
as chloroﬂ uorocarbons (CFCs) and 
hydrochloroﬂ uorocarbons (HCFCs), 
contribute to both global warming 
and the depletion of the ozone layer. 
They are not covered by the Kyoto 
Protocol as they are being phased 
out under the Montreal Protocol on 
protecting the ozone layer.

The EU Emissions
Trading System (EU ETS)

To help reduce emissions most cost-eﬀ ectively, the EU has developed 
the world’s largest company-level system for trading in allowances to 
emit GHG. The ‘cap-and-trade’ system limits emissions from around 
11 000 large emitters in the power-generation industry and in other energy-
intensive industrial sectors across the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, 
Liechtenstein and Norway.

These installations, accounting for some 40% of total EU GHG emissions, 
receive allowances to emit a certain tonnage of GHG each year. Those that 
emit less can sell their surplus allowances. Those that expect to emit more 
than their allowances cover can either invest in measures or technologies to 
reduce their emissions or buy additional allowances on the market to cover 
some or all of their excess. This ability to trade within the limits of the overall 
‘cap’ on emissions creates ﬂ exibility, ensuring that emissions are cut where 
it is cheapest to do so and investments directed to where they buy the 
greatest emission savings.

The cap on overall emissions is being reduced over time. It is currently 
some 6.5% below the 2005 level and by 2020 will be 21% lower. From 
2012, the EU ETS will include emissions from airline ﬂ ights to and from EU 
airports. In 2013, a reform of the EU ETS will come into eﬀ ect, strengthening 
the system and making it more eﬃ  cient. Companies will have to buy a 
progressively larger share of their emission allowances through auctions 
instead of receiving most of them for free, as is the case now.

(cid:3)   While cutting emissions, 

we must also adapt to climate change

Even if the world cuts GHG emissions sharply, climate change will become more severe 
for decades to come because of the delayed eﬀ ect of past emissions. Adapting to climate 
change has therefore become an indispensable complement to reducing emissions.

Adaptation  means  anticipating  the  adverse  impacts  of  climate  change  and  acting 
to  prevent  or  minimise  the  damage  they  can  cause.  Early  action  will  save  costs  later. 
Examples  of  adaptation  measures  include  developing  crops  that  can  tolerate  drought 
and strengthening coastal ﬂ ood defences against sea level rise.

The  poorest  developing  countries  are  especially  vulnerable  to  climate  change.  As  the 
world’s largest aid donor, the EU is giving them ﬁ nancial and other support to help with 
adaptation, including through the ‘fast-start’ funding agreed in Copenhagen. 

In  Europe  itself,  adaptation  is  needed  at  all  levels,  from  the  European  right  down  to 
the local   level. The European Commission has set out a framework for strengthening 
Europe’s resilience to climate change with a view to establishing a comprehensive EU 
adaptation strategy by 2013.

Useful resources: 
European Commission Climate Action website: 
www.ec.europa.eu/clima

European Environment Agency climate change pages:
http://themes.eea.eu.int/Environmental_issues/climate

UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol website:
www.unfccc.int

© European Union, 2010
Reproduction is authorised provided 
the source is acknowledged.

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October 2010

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(cid:2)  ‘Greenhouse’ gases emitted by human activities are 

warming the Earth, causing changes to the global climate 
that will have increasingly severe human, economic and 
environmental impacts over the coming decades.

(cid:2)  The Kyoto Protocol is an important ﬁ rst step towards 

limiting greenhouse gas emissions but now a strong and 
legally binding United Nations framework involving action 
by all major economies is needed to stop global warming 
from reaching dangerous levels. This global deal should 
build on the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, which recognises 
the need to keep global warming to less than 2°C above 
the pre-industrial level (about 1.2°C above today’s 
temperature). 

(cid:2)  Long in the vanguard of international eﬀ orts to combat 
climate change, the European Union has put in place an 
ambitious package of measures to cut its emissions by 20% 
by 2020 and is committed to increasing this reduction to 
30% when the conditions are right. For the long term, the 
EU has also set itself the goal of reducing its emissions to 
80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050. 

(cid:2)  In parallel with cutting emissions, Europe and the rest of 
the world need to adapt to current and future changes in 
the climate. Adaptation measures can increase society’s 
resilience to climate change and so reduce its impacts 
and costs. 

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