Trying to persuade, cajole or scare governments into doing more to limit climate change has not worked that well. A more judicious and considered pitch needs to be made, says Kathleen Van Brempt, a Belgian member of the European Parliament.
“It’s the challenge of this age,” she said. “But instead of communicating it as a big problem, and unsolvable, we should look at it in a positive way.”
It is obvious that the world must gradually abandon its use ofCO2-laden oil, gas and coal. “We need another economy, one that’s not dependent on fossil fuels,” said Van Brempt, who sits with the Socialists and Democrats (S&Ds) political bloc in the Parliament.
But rather than scaremongering, packaging the challenge as a set of reforms that will deliver growth is more endearing to politicians and the wider public.
It will take a lot of investment, but spending on energy is a cost you cannot get away from in any case, notes Van Brempt. “Let’s not be defeatist: we can use climate change as a way of creating a lot of jobs in Europe.”
Going low-carbon and energy efficient
Van Brempt refuses to have her rhetoric hemmed in by what her and colleagues regard as a recent setback, though she admits being disappointed by the 27 per cent target for renewables and energy efficiency for 2030 recently agreed by energy ministers.
The European Commission had proposed a target to improve energy efficiency by 30 per cent by 2030, but many member states, including Poland and the UK, did not agree.
The 27 percent target is not legally binding at either a national or EU level. A review, to be conducted in 2020, will bear in mind a 30 per cent EU-level target, energy ministers promised.
Many MEPs think the door is still open to a better deal. Following the summit conclusions, it is up to the European Commission to present legislation, and there is hope in many corners that the target can be improved.
S&D group president Gianni Pitella sees it as an opening bid. He said, “There is still time to agree on more ambitious targets along the way. The Council’s compromise is a starting point. Let’s do more.”
Energy efficiency
Van Brempt does not want a good opportunity to be fumbled. She would like to combine a massive push on low-carbon, renewable energy with a huge effort on energy efficiency. “We will never achieve [energy] independence until we get 100 per cent renewable energy,” she said.
Measures to achieve greater energy savings will pay back quickly, she noted, pointing to schools in her region of Flanders, built in the 1960s and 1970s, as an example. “If you renovate buildings to make them more energy efficient, you’ll be paid back in six or seven years’ time,” Van Brempt said.
Stronger targets for energy efficiency could unleash investment across Europe. “We could renovate every government building in Europe, for example. In 10 – 15 years, we’ll have reduced energy use dramatically, maybe by 60 – 70 per cent,” she claimed.
Some clouds lifting
For Van Brempt, it is high time to break with the feeble policies of the past. The former president of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso and his team, had no ambition for energy and climate, she says, welcoming Barroso’s successor, Jean-Claude Juncker.
“I’m not so enthusiastic as to say this is the best Commission ever, but I’m looking forward to working with them,” Van Brempt said.
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