EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SAFEGUARDS RENEWABLE ENERGY DIRECTIVE

16 November 2000

Brussels, Belgium: Greenpeace welcomed today's plenary vote of the European Parliament for legally binding national minimum targets in the directive on renewable energy and the exclusion of waste incineration from it. "This is a great step towards effective promotion of true renewable energies", said Axel Singhofen, EU Advisor for Greenpeace International. "The message of the Parliament is clear: binding targets for clean energy have to be established instead of vague intentions that would even allow the promotion of dirty technologies such as waste incineration." Greenpeace is now calling on Member States to support the position of the European Parliament on targets and the exclusion of waste incineration. Energy Commissioner Loyola de Palacio had supported the exclusion of waste incineration from the definition of renewable energy sources.

This will make it very difficult for countries like the UK, Italy and the Netherlands who want to see waste incineration included in the definition of renewable energy. Such a move would not only result in greenwashing of a highly polluting activity, but would actually allow Member States to achieve lower targets for energy production from true renewable sources.

Incineration of municipal waste is Europe’s single largest source of dioxins; one of the world’s most dangerous chemicals and known to cause cancer in humans. A global ban on dioxins is currently being discussed by the world’s governments (1).

Greenpeace however condemned the vote of the European Parliament to include peat into the definition of renewable energy. Commissioner de Palacio had stated on Wednesday that the Commission would not support the inclusion of peat into the definition.

"Everyone knows that peat is fossil matter, and moreover, its exploration destroys environmentally precious moorland," said Axel Singhofen. "Promoting peat as a 'renewable energy' source is technically incorrect, environmentally destructive and counterproductive to the promotion of true renewable energy sources."

Peat is found in moorland and is the result of century-long degradation of plant material, which qualifies it as fossil matter. The quarrying of peat has led to the destruction of much of the moorland in Europe, endangering fauna and flora specific to such environments and impacting substantially on their effectiveness as terrestrial carbon sinks.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
For interviews contact:
Axel Singhofen, Greenpeace International EU Toxics advisor on + 32 2 280 1987
Lorenzo Consoli, Greenpeace European Unit media officer on + 32 75 95 54 65.

For further information on the health and environmental risks associated with incineration technologies contact www.greenpeace.org/toxics