The Carbon Dinosaur in Belgium

Dates in Belgium
>>	4 October 04 City of Ghent. MORE In Ghent, Belgium, a Climate Killer Oscar was given to Fientje Moerman, ex-ministerfor energy, for mostly listening to the industry lobby rather than environmental needs as her continuous fight against the Kyoto Protocol. Another prize was dedicated to Marc Verwilghen, her successor not only as a minister but also in her dinosaur thinking.
>>	2 June 04 City of Brussels. The 'Climate Killer Oscar' has been presented (in absentia) to Commissionner Loyola de Palacio, in 'recognition' of her repeated efforts to destabilize EU support for the Kyoto Protocol and related policies. BRIEFING: -- Why de Palacio receives this award Climate Killer Oscar ceremony in front of the Green Week conference venue.
To find out more about the Carbon Dinosaur in Belgium and when and where to meet it, please refer to the contact details on the right.

80 % of Belgian energy comes from fossil fuels. This is reflected in breakdowns of Belgian Greenhouse Gas ( GHG's ) emissions which show that 83.4% come from CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), 8.8% from N2O (Nitrogen Dioxide) and 7.7% from CH4 (Nitrates). Industry and construction are the primary source (26%), followed by the residential and commercial sector (22%), energy industries (21%) and transport (19%). Among the primary sources, the emissions caused by transport have grown most rapidly , 21.5% over the last decade.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Belgium has a commitment to reduce emissions by 7.5% from 1990 levels. However there is a difference between agreeing to cut emissions and actually doing it. In reality there has been no significant reductions in any of the gases and there has even been an increase in the N2O and CO2 emissions of 7.7% and1.5% respectively. If the situation remains unchanged and the governments carry on with their business as usual policies, CO2 emissions will increase by 14% above 1990 levels by the year 2010. Interestingly, the most rapid growth of emissions would stem from public and not industrial sources. The emissions from the transport sector are expected to increase by 47% and household emissions would increase by 33%.

Like many other European countries the institutionalised cooperation between the fossil fuel industry, the civil service and politicians is an obstruction to emissions reduction. In addition to this Belgium consists of the very distinct, semi autonomous, regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Each region has a different emission profile. For example in Flanders agriculture is responsible for 60% of emission whilst in the region of Brussels domestic consumption and road transport are the main problems. The combination of decentralised government and the historic rivalries between them further hinders emissions reduction at a national level. This means that means that pressure for change must come from outside existing institutional structures, the public and civil society need to demand greater action.

However a key problem is that there is little public concern about climate change and, in fact, it is the Belgian public who are greatly contributing to the rise in emissions. For example the increase in CO2 emissions is mainly due to an increase in traffic (especially road transport) and household emission are also expected to rise 33%.

Education and public awareness campaigns are being started by the Belgian government for example promoting public transport and the alternative means of transport (biking and walking). Environmental education has been recognized as a priority for schools and accordingly, a number of initiatives have been taken in order to integrate climate change problems into the school curriculum. However these initiatives are a recent a recent development. For a long time environmental issues were not addressed and the result has been that a significant proportion of the population are simply not aware of the impact of their lifestyles have.

This is particularly hard to understand because Belgium is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Scientific predictions that sea levels will rise 50cm would be disastrous for a country which, as part of the so called "lowlands", has large swathes of its territory below sea level.

The Carbon dinosaur will be part of the effort to raise public awareness in Belgium so that people will modify their own contributions to climate change but also demand that political institutions of Belgium take the necessary steps to meet the obligations they have agreed to by signing the Kyoto Protocol.

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