The European Union last week claimed global leadership in the fight against climate change. At a Brussels summit, the 27-nation bloc agreed to binding targets that would cut greenhouse-gas emissions, promote energy efficiency and encourage the use of renewable energy sources. If the policies are implemented, then the EU will be in a position to push other countries to follow their lead. It is a big "if": The deal reached last weekend does not have "teeth" -- legally binding targets. The policies will differentiate between a real attempt to halt climate change and mere posturing.
The scientific evidence that confirms the human impact on the global climate is virtually irrefutable. The most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change now argues that there is a high certainty that human behavior is having a disastrous effect on the planet. While politicians acknowledge these facts, they have been slow to use it as a guide for effecting policy.
The EU changed all that last week. Under the stewardship of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European leaders made three promises to achieve by 2020. First, they agreed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent compared with 1990 levels. Second, the share of EU power produced by renewable energy sources will rise to 20 percent from the current figure of about 6 percent. Third, one-tenth of all cars and trucks in the EU will run on biofuels.