Belgium mulls steps to reduce CO2 emissions

Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said on Friday that he intended to use a so-called "Kyoto Plus Plan" to work toward a more CO2-free society in the country.

Following the 4th UN report on global warming, the prime minister said that meeting the Kyoto Protocol targets could not reduce harmful CO2, or carbon dioxide, emissions efficiently.

The report, conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), blamed global warming on human beings, saying its now 90 percent certain that the warming is man-made.

"Therefore, we will work towards a Kyoto Plus Plan, which will radically opt for a society poor in CO2," he said.

The Kyoto Protocol binds 35 industrial nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

The main plan for capping emissions of greenhouse gases, however, has been badly weakened by a 2001 pullout by the United States, the top source of greenhouse gases. Emissions by many backers of Kyoto are way over target.

Verhofstadt said he would start talks with three of its regions in the weeks to come on taking further steps to meet the Kyoto agreement, adding that there is much room for improvement among Belgian households.

"Families should drastically change their behavior. They can save millions of tons of CO2 on the level of heating, lighting and isolation," he said.

Verhofstadt further explained that traffic too should pull its weight. He said people had better use their bicycle to cover short distances and make use of public transport or car-sharing for the longer distances.

"We have to take our responsibility now. We can't just continue to saddle up the next generations with this ecological legacy," he said.

Source: Xinhua