Stavros Dimas
Commissioner for Environment

The earthquake that hit Haiti has resulted in a human tragedy of a scale that is hard to comprehend. The whole world has been moved by what has happened and we extend our deepest sympathies to all of those who have been effected by this terrible event.

80,000 people have already been buried and the final death toll could be twice this number. Hospitals are overwhelmed and many are still dying. Some 200,000 are in need of emergency shelter. There are still shortages of fuel, medical supplies and even clean water.

Europe has some of the best rescue workers in the world and the Commission’s Civil Protection Department has been at the centre of coordinating the assistance provided by European countries. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated the on the same day of the earthquake. The first European teams - from …

Here in Copenhagen, negotiators again worked through the night in an effort to narrow the gap between developed and developing countries. At lunch time today, the high-level segment of the conference began, with many heads of state and government in attendance. President Barroso addressed the conference this afternoon.  

So where are we now? Progress has been made on issues like technology cooperation, capacity building in developing countries, and putting in place a work programme on agriculture.

But this is far from satisfactory. We are not making sufficient progress. We are running out of time.

It is essential to agree on emission reduction targets for developed countries, actions by developing countries to limit their emissions growth, long-term funding for developing countries, especially the poorest and most vulnerable and a system of monitoring and verification that will ensure commitments are implemented.

The time for procedural discussions is …

Sustainable economic development needs to be based on a respect for environmental limits because our long-term economic health depends on the health of our planet.
 
Many economic sectors - from pharmaceuticals to fisheries, from agriculture to tourism - depend on a high quality environment. With a cleaner environment we avoid the massive costs of dealing with pollution. Eco-efficiency will also reduce the bill for imports of energy and other raw materials.
 
Improving environmental performance can trigger innovation in the booming sector of environmental technologies. The global market for eco-technologies …