EU countries to coordinate measures against climate chage

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-15 16:24

PRAGUE -- The EU member states will coordinate their measures against climate change, Czech Environment Minister Martin Bursik said Tuesday after a meeting of the EU environment ministers that he chaired.

Bursik said that coordination of the efforts was needed because the effects of climate change respected no borders and also because of mutual solidarity and integrated EU policies in agriculture, fishery, water management and other sectors.

The ministers at the meeting welcomed the White Paper that the European Commission released two weeks ago. According to the White Paper, measures must be taken on national levels as climate is to change in very different ways in different EU regions.

Eight EU countries - Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain - have already adopted their own adaptation strategies.

The EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said agreement on the funding of these adaptations in necessary. The adaptations are to be covered from national budget and from half of the revenues from the sale of carbon credits.

Dimas appreciated the change in the US stance to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The US Obama administration promised to join the new agreement that will replace the Kyoto Protocol which is set to expire in 2012, but it is not certain how much the United States will decrease its greenhouse gas emissions.

Bursik said a number of measures need to be introduced due to more frequent massive flooding, speedy thawing of Alpine glaciers and changes in rainfall patterns. The discussion on these measures will culminate at an EU meeting in June.