EU Climate Policy and Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

摘要

Climate change policy documents at both the national and European levels have highlighted the potential role of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regime in tackling climate change. For example, the DETR originally suggested that the requirements of IPPC could significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources (DETR, 1998). Similarly, last year the European Commission highlighted the potential role that the monitoring and reporting requirements of the regime could have with respect to climate change (CEC, 1999). As the Regulations that fully transpose the 1996 IPPC Directive (CEC, 1996) finally come into force, this article explores the connections between IPPC and climate policy. However, it does not discuss the voluntary agreements that have been concluded with industry in the UK as part of the climate change levy, even though the conclusion of these may have an effect on the application of IPPC in practice. The article starts with an overview of the IPPC Directive and of its requirements in relation to climate change. This is followed by a discussion of the reporting requirements of the Directive and the implications of these for climate policy. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential importance of IPPC for climate change.