ABSTRACT
Before considering the legal controls on the various types of pollutant and sources of pollution, it may be noted that by virtue of the Kyoto Protocol (above) the EC is now committed to a target of an 8% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2010. In June 1998, the Environment Council reached agreement as to how the Community is to achieve this target. Each Member State has been allocated targets under the so-called ‘burden-sharing’ agreement as follows:-
Belgium - 7.5% Italy - 6.5% Denmark - 21% Luxembourg - 28% Germany - 21% Netherlands - 6% Greece + 25% Austria - 13% Spain + 15% Portugal + 27% France 0% Finland 0% Iceland + 13% Sweden + 4% UK - 12.5%
Until the Kyoto Protocol comes into force this is a political agreement only, not a binding legal commitment. There is therefore no sanction against a Member State which fails to meet its target.
