Jan 23, 2008, 16:12 GMT
Brussels - A key element of the European Union's package of laws on climate change, proposed Wednesday, is a plan to boost the amount of renewable energy the 27-member bloc uses.
In March, the EU's political leaders agreed to boost Europe's consumption of such power to 20 per cent of total energy used by 2020.
In 2005, just 8.5 per cent of the EU's total energy consumption came from renewable sources - wind, solar, wave, tidal, hydro- electric, geothermal, biomass (i.e. burning wood or waste) and burning gases from rubbish tips, sewage and fermentation.
The aim of the pledge was three-fold: to reduce Europe's reliance on energy imports; to encourage European companies to invent new, environment-friendly technology; and to reduce the EU's emissions of greenhouse gases.
The proposals made by the European Commission on Wednesday put a concrete figure on what proportion of renewable energy each member state is expected to use in 2020.
The proposal is based on the principle that the richest states should make the biggest effort to boost their use of renewable power.
Increases range from a low of 6.2 percentage points in the case of Romania (up from 17.8 per cent to 24 per cent), to a high of 13.7 points in the case of Britain (up from 1.3 per cent to 15 per cent).
Some member states have complained about their targets, either because local conditions are not suitable for the creation of large- scale renewable power plants, or because they already use so much renewable energy that more increases will be hard to manage.
The commission's proposal therefore allows member states to build renewable power plants in other EU members and count it towards their own targets.
The proposal on renewable energy sources also includes suggestions on how the EU should make sure that 10 per cent of the fuel burnt in its vehicles in 2020 comes from plant-based sources.
That target - also agreed in March - is intended to reduce the EU's reliance on imported oil, cut its emissions of CO2 and give a boost to its industry.
But critics say this risks pushing up food prices and causing social unrest and environmental damage as farmers in non-EU states clear virgin land to produce fuel crops.
In order to address such concerns, the commission's proposal says that only fuels which do not create environmental damage will be licensed for use within the EU.
The proposal also says that the commission will monitor food prices and take action if its bio-fuels policy affects them.
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