European leaders like Jose Manuel Barroso don’t normally call on the U.S. to follow their lead on policy — they’re usually too busy ogling America's enviously high growth rates and lavish R&D investment. But after last week’s announcement that the EU will aim to slash 20% of its carbon emissions by 2020, the president of the European Commission feels he now has license to offer advice. Barroso said Thursday that if the U.S. eventually vowed to cut carbon emissions as the EU had done, China would also follow suit. “I believe if the Americans change, the world will change, and the American mood is changing very fast,” Barroso told a summit of European business leaders in Brussels on Thursday.
“If the Americans come [to agree on carbon emissions cuts] there will be no reason for the Chinese to hide behind the Americans,” he added.
Last week, the presidents and prime ministers of EU member states agreed to cut carbon emissions in the region by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020, and to get 20% of Europe’s energy from renewable sources like wind, hydroelectricity and solar panels.
They also pledged to raise the target to 30% if other advanced nations — the U.S. in particular — joined in.
However, the plan has been criticized as too grand and ambitious, and many businesses fear the new targets could stifle economic growth.
“We would be more in favor of establishing a baseline so that those who are below have to pay and those above get rewarded,” said Michel Wurth of Arcelor Mittal, whose growth depends on China’s rapidly increasing steel imports.
Beijing has come under pressure from overseas to reduce its dependence on coal, but it has been dragging its feet because of the costs involved in converting to renewable energy. “China will soon be the biggest polluter in the world,” said Barroso. “So it’s crucially important for China to join this effort.”
Key to all this of course is Europe’s own status as a role model, which depends on its ability to reach those challenging emissions targets.
