Meeting Europe's renewable energy targets in harmony with - RSPB

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HOW TO ACHIEVE A EUROPEAN RENEWABLES REVOLUTION IN HARMONY WITH NATURE 79 also stresses the political and economic transformation needed to realise the potential of renewables (Box 16). A political vision for EU countries to adopt a lowcarbon, resource-efficient and biodiversity-friendly development pathway is therefore crucial. In March 2007 the European Heads of State took a first step when they decided on the so-called “20-20-20 targets” for their climate and energy policy. Between 1990 and 2020 EU Member States committed themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20%, to increase the share of renewable energy sources to 20% of the total demand in Europe, and to improve energy efficiency by 20%. This was a strong signal to encourage suitable frameworks and conditions at EU, national and regional levels, and to speed up the necessary investments for the transformation of energy systems in the coming years. Since the failure of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 the EU has struggled to raise their ambition and to agree on binding targets beyond 2020. Transformation of the energy sector will require sustained investment in reduced energy demand, renewable energy and “smarter” electricity grid infrastructure. Massive investment over decades in long-lived assets with long planning and investment cycles demands stable economic, regulatory and policy frameworks. Continual change in incentives and frameworks damages confidence and raises the costs of capital. While some very large energy firms can finance investments from their own balance sheets, instability in particular works against smaller investors, who cannot raise finance at reasonable cost if policy risks are seen to be high. Many small investors are needed to stimulate competition, and to tap into renewables potential at all scales – including households and communities. Therefore, the EU should also provide for clear targets and achievable pathways for the medium- and longterm – to 2030, 2040 and 2050. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has a vital role to play, but needs major reform. Its future and effectiveness have become uncertain as negotiations on an international climate regime after 2012 stumble. Several cases of fraud, inconsistent rules, non-additional offsetting projects and other loopholes seriously undermine the functioning of the ETS. As a consequence, the market faces an overallocation of emission permits, and the carbon price remains too low to provide certainty and to incentivise the necessary investment decisions. In this situation, use of other, less flexible policy instruments, such as regulations on emissions and binding renewable energy and efficiency targets, will become more important and urgent. Competition and private investment will remain major drivers, but there is an urgent need to change the logic of markets to achieve an energy system based almost exclusively on renewable sources by the middle of the century. Only binding targets, instruments and regulations will give sufficient confidence and clarity to innovators and investors. Providing clear, stable policy frameworks, incentives and planning regimes is necessary to reduce political and planning risks and thereby reduce the cost of capital. Intelligent policy frameworks aim at minimizing overall infrastructure needs, optimizing the geographical spread of renewable energy technologies and unlocking the potential of smart grids. Such an approach will lower both ecological impacts and overall costs. Clarity on the vision for Europe’s energy future is vital. The public acceptability of the necessary investments, and the legitimacy of the necessary policies, will be undermined if doubts remain about the imperative for change and its implications on the ground for European citizens. Energy system transformation will raise costs to energy consumers in the short-term, affect communities’ landscapes and property values, and present risks to Europe’s cherished wildlife. In addition to clear political signals, the EU and its Member States must give much greater attention to building trust BOX 17 BirdLife initiatives to promote public support for renewable energy BirdLife has a role to play in improving the public acceptability of renewables, through messages to our members about their role in the fight against climate change, and highlighting good practice in biodiversityfriendly renewables deployment. BirdLife Partners are increasingly making use of solar power on their reserves. BirdLife Partners in Belgium, Natuurpunt and Natagora, have both set up a solar PV business and have found that sales events are a useful opportunity to tell people about climate change and the need for renewables.
80 MEETING EUROPE’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS IN HARMONY WITH NATURE and public acceptability through mechanisms such as increased transparency, public participation in decision making and opportunities for buy-in and investment at an individual and/or local level. Ambitious, clear and stable policy and regulatory frameworks will be necessary, but are insufficient to enable a renewables revolution in harmony with nature. They will drive down costs for technologies that are already commercially available, but basic research and development (R&D) is also needed to bring forward the new technologies of tomorrow. Innovation will make the transformation to a lowcarbon, high-renewables future more readily achievable, by reducing costs and risks, and radical innovations remain a possibility. Basic R&D budgets for low-carbon technologies should be increased by an order of magnitude in Europe, with an increased emphasis on promoting innovations that minimise ecological risks and improve public acceptability. Cultural change will also play a role in making the energy transformation possible, as people see the benefits of avoiding waste and living with low impacts. We need to protect our natural heritage, and help people to reconnect with it, for this shift in lifestyles to make sense and gain momentum. And, in all this, we must not forget that protecting biodiversity is not just about what nature can do for society – it is also right to protect nature simply because it is valuable in its own right. 4.2 PROTECT THE NATURA 2000 NETWORK Healthy, biodiverse environments play a vital role in maintaining and increasing resilience to climate change, and reducing risk and vulnerability in ecosystems and human societies. In the European Union, Natura 2000 sites provide these healthy and biodiverse environments. The Natura 2000 network of sites protected under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives lies at the heart of Europe’s efforts to protect its biodiversity. Natura 2000 sites are not “fenced-off” protected areas. On the contrary, they are often dependent on sustainable human activities and land uses that have shaped them and maintained them over the years. They cover almost a fifth of the EU territory, over 25,000 sites where nature can exist in harmony with humans. BirdLife makes major contributions to data gathering and identification of sites that make up the Natura 2000 network. The network is now almost complete on land, but there is still much work to do offshore (Box 18, Box 25). Marine spatial planning and a robust Natura 2000 network will be vital for enabling biodiversity to adapt to climate change. In order to increase the ability of ecosystems to adapt, as well as accommodating the need of species and habitats to move into areas with more suitable climatic conditions, BirdLife promotes the following principles: ● ● ● increasing efforts in addressing the existing threats to species, sites and habitats, in particular through the full and swift implementation of EU conservation legislation set out in the Birds and Habitats Directives urgently implementing at all levels the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy improving the connectivity and coherence of protected areas networks, crucially Natura 2000, and, where necessary, increasing protected areas in number and size
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MEETING EUROPE’S RENEWABLE ENERGY
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Meeting Europe’s Renewable Energy
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CHAPTER THREE THE ECOLOGICAL SUSTAI
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REFERENCES 129 Daunt, F. (2006) Mar
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REFERENCES 131 Lonsdale, D., Pautas
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ENDNOTES 133 ENDNOTES i Chris Huhne
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Birdlife European and Central Asian
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Meeting Europe's renewable energy targets in harmony with - RSPB

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