Poland cold to more CO2 reductions

“Warsaw under EU climate pressure”, headlines Rzeczpospolita as the European Parliament debates further reductions of CO2 emissions.The assembly is expected to adopt a resolution urging the European Commission to pass laws that will reduce Europe’s emissions by 30 percent by 2020, a target 10 percentage points higher than provided for by the EU climate strategy. “For Poland, with its coal-fuelled power sector and energy-intensive heavy industry, that’s a real challenge”, stresses the conservative daily, warning that further cuts would threaten the viability of Polish steel plants, paper mills and fertiliser factories. It would also force the government to spend some 2 billion euro to buy extra emission rights and result in a rise of energy prices for consumers as high as 27 percent. The Warsaw daily calls these “monstrous costs” and reminds readers that two weeks ago at the ministerial conference in Luxembourg Poland alone vetoed the proposal to cut emissions by 30 percent, exposing itself to a “wave of criticism from the supporters of more restrictive climate protection”.