Greener on the Other Side (34.6)

Over the past decade and a half, Europe has become something of an international environmental leader. Climate policy in the European Union (EU) – with a variety of programs and measures, including emissions trading – has been in advance of most other developed countries. European states such as Germany, Sweden, Denmark and, more recently, the UK, have pushed forward innovations in various environmental domains. Some of these are discussed in this issue of Alternatives, such as the European emissions trading system (“No Carbon Copy” page 10) and the drive for renewables in Germany (“A Fine Act to Follow” page 18). But there are other examples. The Swedish system of national environmental objectives, for instance, involves long-term environmental goals and an independent agency to monitor progress. And the new UK climate bill introduces five-year “carbon budgets,” also with regular assessment by an independent expert body. ...