European NGO’s Say That Revision Of The New EU Industrial Pollution Law Is Essential To Cut Greenhouse Gases And Pollutants
Image Courtesy of EEB
Brussels – The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) currently excludes limits on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), making it unfit to support the EU’s moves to address climate change, according to legal, environmental and health experts.
As the directive determines the allowable emissions levels of over 50,000 industrial facilities – about half of the EU’s GHG emissions – the group is today launching a petition demanding the IED be revised to include GHGs and to limit air, water and soil pollution much more strictly, to ensure that the commitments under the European Green Deal become reality.
The EEB is the largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations in Europe. It currently consists of over 160 member organisations in more than 35 countries (all EU Member States plus some accession and neighbouring countries), including a growing number of European networks, and representing some 30 million individual members and supporters.
The EEB stands for sustainable development, environmental justice, global equity, transparency and participatory democracy. It promotes the principles of prevention, precaution and the polluter pays.
The news comes during the European Commission’s public consultation on the IED.
Christian Schaible, Policy Manager for Industrial Production at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said: “The whole point of the IED is to protect us and our environment from the negative impacts of industrial activities. If the Commission is serious about their zero pollution, circular and carbon neutrality goals, they must redesign its scope, rethink how standards are set, and ensure greater transparency.”
Doreen Fedrigo, Industrial Transformation Policy Coordinator at CAN Europe, said: “EU leaders last year agreed to more ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030. Now is the time to implement this higher climate goal, across all sectors. The IED is a key tool to drive drastic cuts in greenhouse gas and toxic emissions in the industry sector. Including limits on greenhouse gas emissions alongside stricter limits on other industrial emissions will be needed for the EU to honour its commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.”
The NGOs also stress that the IED does not currently address a variety of serious problems related to the air, water and soil pollution.
Large-scale industrial activities are one of the main contributors to air pollution, which leads to 412,000 premature deaths in Europe every year, meaning a stricter regulation on all industrial emissions can no longer be avoided.
Vlatka Matkovic, Senior Health and Energy Officer at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) said: “Zero pollution and a health-protective approach need to be at the heart of the industrial emissions law, to urgently and significantly cut pollution, especially from coal power plants. The revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for preventing disease and premature deaths, and for delivering on the EU’s climate ambition.”
The current IED does not lead to a zero pollution environment or circular economy, nor does it ensure proper public participation rights and access to information. The NGOs point out various cases of these failures throughout the EU Member States.
Laura Otýpková, lawyer from Frank Bold said: “The current IED is full of loopholes and flexibilities which allow industrial operators to avoid complying with strict rules. At the same time, the public is often excluded from proper participation and denied access to information on emissions. In the end, the IED seems like a token gesture – its revision is a perfect opportunity to make it the powerful piece of legislation it could be.”
About The EEB
The EEB tackles Europe’s most pressing environmental problems by agenda setting, monitoring, advising on and influencing the way the EU deals with these issues.
These include issues such as climate change, biodiversity, circular economy, air, water, soil, chemical pollution, as well as policies on industry, energy, agriculture, product design and waste prevention among others.
We are also active on overarching issues as sustainable development, good governance, participatory democracy and the rule of law in Europe and beyond.
While the primary focus of the EEB’s work is on the EU and its decision-making processes, we work also on wider regional and global processes, at the level of the UN and the OECD, in particular on the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Further, with the enlargement of Europe, the EEB has increased its cooperation with Eastern European environmental organisations, helping them use European regulations to strengthen their national environmental policies.