Hit and miss.

A few EU coutries may have surpassed Kyoto expectations, but Yvonne Brown reports that over half the member states have missed their targets.

The US may have distanced itself from the Kyoto Protocol to combat global warming, but efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their

In the UK, the chemical industry is one of many sectors to have signed a Climate Change Agreement with the Government. The agreement signed by this industry sets out a target for an improvement in energy efficiency of 18% between 1998 and 2010. The sector has already made good progress under its existing voluntary agreement with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), and the current target will bring the energy efficiency improvement between 1990 and 2010 to 34%.

It is estimated that this agreement will deliver savings of over 1m tonnes of carbon by 2010. Under the agreement, the sector will receive concessions on the rate of climate change levy to be paid. This levy came into effect in April.

Greater savings are possible

A recent report for the European Commission has concluded that European chemical manufacturers could achieve significantly greater reductions in costs and emissions of global warming gases. It explains that they could do this by switching to more energy efficient power generation and by using more efficient process technologies. The report concluded that such measures could cut the industry's projected emissions for 2010 by 85m MT carbon dioxide equivalent.

Another report, recently issued by the European Environment Agency (EEA), found that only the UK, Germany and Luxembourg have made the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions required to meet the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol.

Between 1990 and 1999, the UK reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 14.5%,while Germany achieved reductions of 18.7%. Luxembourg cut its emissions by 43.3%, more than 15% above the target set for 2008-2012.

The report says that more than half of the other member states are headed towards substantially exceeding their agreed share of the EU's total allowed emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Denmark is the most off-target, with a 4% increase in greenhouse gas emissions instead of the required reduction of 21% on 1990 levels.

Voluntary trading scheme

To go nearer towards its Kyoto Protocol target, the UK DETR has issued a draft framework document outlining its greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme. It is proposed that the scheme will operate on a voluntary basis, and will be open to all organisations that are operating in the UK.

The trading scheme will not just be an isolated policy instrument, but will complement and inject flexibility into other related policy instruments.

The UK Government has estimated that a successful trading scheme has the potential to deliver savings of at least 2m tonnes of carbon (or 7.7m tonnes of carbon dioxide) per annum by 2010.

Air pollution emission estimates for greenhouse gases are among those recently released by the UK DETR, for 1999. Key figures are:

* emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases fell by 14.5% between the 1990 baseline and 1999. There was also a fall of 6.5% between 1998 and 1999

* carbon dioxide emissions fell by 9% between 1990 and 1999

* carbon dioxide emissions for 2000 are estimated to be at 152m tonnes. This is 7.5% lower than 1990 and consistent with the general downward trend in emissions shown in the climate change programme

* air emissions of VOCs fell by 34% between 1988 and 1999

* emissions of all the main air pollutants (apart from hydrogen chloride), all heavy metals, and most persistent organic pollutants (POPs) fell between 1998 and 1999.

The UK Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has recently issued proposals on a new duty to investigate accidents, dangerous occurrences and diseases. These new proposals follow a consultation exercise that was conducted in 1999. A number of conclusions were made as a result of the consultation exercise, including:

* all accidents should be investigated by employers so that they could learn lessons and take corrective action

* investigation should be proportionate to the scale or complexity of the incident

* the results should lead to amendment of the relevant risk assessments.

The new duty to investigate accidents has been introduced as a result of the consultation exercise. Over 90% of respondents felt that the HSC should take further action to encourage employers to do more than just report accidents. This is part of the UK's legislation covered under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDER).

The new duty is proposed in the form of an amendment to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and would amend regulation 3 on risk assessment to introduce a Schedule on the investigation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and diseases.

It is proposed that the duty is limited to those accidents, diseases and near misses reportable under RIDDER. Under the proposals, the duty holder would be required to commence the investigation as soon as possible, and in all circumstances within three days of the event having been notified to the enforcing authority.

Comments on the proposal should be sent to Neville Higham, Health and Safety Executive, Policy Division, SASD, 8 South Wing, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS. Tel: +44 20 7717 6426. Fax: + 44 20 7717 6891. email: breb@hse.gsi.gov.uk. The deadline for receipt of comments is 3 September.

Yvonne Brown graduated in 1992, and gained her doctorate four years later. She is now with the UK's Paint Research Association. Brown edits two journals on health, safety and environmental legislation for the coatings industry, including the PRA's `SHE Alert'.