The Long Hot Winter

The European Commission today has announced a plan that will force all EU member states to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 20% in 2020. This change in policy comes on the heels of Russia's dispute with Belarus concerning their oil supply. Of this new policy, EC president Jose Manuel Barroso said "Europe must lead the world into a new, or maybe one should say, post-industrial revolution, the development of a low-carbon economy."

All of the EU states combined are not the world's leader in greenhouse emissions, guess who garners that honour, but here they are leading the march towards a cleaner environment. 20% is a start, but perhaps a further goal of 50% could have been introduced as well for 2030.

A few stats:
-America is the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, followed swiftly by the world's fastest growing economy, China.
-There are 6,525,170,264 in this world
-1,315,437,060 in China, with China being home to some of the world's most polluted cities both in air quality and water, particularly in Beijing where there are growing concerns about the 2008 Summer Olympics to be held there. It is rather difficult to run in smog so thick it is hard to see through at times.
-There are only 298,444,215 in America and we still lead the world in pollutants. (They are like that one greedy friend who comes to every party empty handed, proceeds to drink all your booze and then leaves without saying thank you)
-Over this past weekend, it was colder in New Delhi than in New York City.
-On the Costa del Sol in Spain, the temperature is currently 18c, or 64.4f, way above average. In Britain too, the temperature has increased causing growing concerns for warm tourist destinations like Spain that they will receive few visitors.
-In the past ten years, the Greenland icesheet temperature has increased from 3-5c (5-9f) indicating that sea level could rise by 20ft by 2100 putting major cities such as London, New York, Bombay and Tokyo underwater.