Citizens Initiative to repeal climate change package

The organisers can now start collecting the one million signatures needed for the Commission to consider it. The initiative’s proponents include Ludwik Dorn, a Polish politician; Fay Patricia Kelly-Tuncay, who leads the UK Campaign to Repeal the Climate Change Act; and Vitezslav Kremlik, who chairs the Czech blog.

“Fossil fuel companies have a long history, both in the US and in Europe, of covertly financing opponents of government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Corporate Europe Observatory warns.

The Commission is not obliged to propose legislation based on an initiative, but must explain if it decides not to. If the Commission does come up with a proposal, it will then follow the normal legislative procedure, which usually means it must pass through the European Parliament and Council before it becomes law.

The other eight initiatives that were still collecting signatures on 14 August deal with the following topics:
  Responsible waste management
  Common education goals
  Phasing out of animal testing
  Voting rights for EU citizens living in another member state
  Protection of human embryos in research, development aid and public health
  Access to water
  Roaming fees
  Increased mobility

Carbon Emissions and Health

The Health and Environment Alliance explains; “Reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) will coincidentally lead to a reduction of other air pollutants such as fine particles, sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxides, which cause major problems for air quality in Europe.. Evidence that improved air quality leads to health benefits is abundant in dozens of published papers.

Air pollution is still a major public health problem in Europe with a wide range of health impacts that reduce life expectancy and increase illness, especially respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Nearly half a million Europeans die prematurely each year because of air pollution, but there is also a significant impact from sickness and on people’s quality of life and productivity (i.e. days of restricted activity and work days lost because of illness).”

The European Commission Staff Working Paper entitled “Analysis of options to move beyond 20% greenhouse gas emissions reductions: member states’ results” estimates the health benefits of moving the emissions cuts targets from 20% to 30% will save the EU between €3.4 and €7.9 billion annually from 2020.

Related EPHA articles

 First EU one million signature petitions released for signatures
 World Water Day: Join the campaign to defend our right to water and sanitation
 European Citizens` Initiative comes into force in 2012
 Civil Society Organisations disappointed with European Parliament vote on European Citizens’ Initiative
 Health groups call for ambitious 40% reduction target on carbon emissions
 EU2020 ’does not go far enough’ on environment and energy
 After Copenhagen: what next for EU climate and environment policy according to Jo Leinen, MEP.
 Enhancing the EU’s resilience to deal with climate change
 EPHA response to the European Commission public consultation on sustainability agenda
 What public health priorities for the Energy Efficiency Directive Review