From Benny Peiser's Global Warming Policy Foundation

Poland Leads East European Opposition To EU Climate Deal

Climate Fears Exaggerated, Says Ex-Environment Secretary

Poland and other eastern European countries are prepared to scupper the EU’s landmark climate change deal next week if they do not receive greater guarantees about their future energy costs. Spearheaded by Germany, Britain and France, the EU wants to seal an agreement at a summit on October 23-24 to ensure the 28-member bloc will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But coal-dependent Poland and some of its neighbours argue that the EU’s proposals to compensate them for modernising their heavy industry do not go far enough. The opponents to the deal, led by Poland and the Czech Republic, but also including Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, are ready to walk away from the summit if they are not offered improved terms. --Financial Times, 15 October 2014

“This may fail,” Rafal Trzaskowski, Poland’s European affairs minister, told the Financial Times. “We have our well-entrenched red lines. . . If they are not ready to take into consideration our apprehensions, then we will decide later this week or early next week not to deal with the issue at the summit.” A senior Polish official involved with the negotiations said that Warsaw was “not confident” that there would be a deal next week. Marcin Korolec, Poland’s environment minister, said on Monday that EU countries were still “very far” from a compromise. --Financial Times, 15 October 2014

Predictions about the rate of climate change have proved to be ‘wildly exaggerated’, former environment secretary Owen Paterson will claim today. In a speech to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, Mr Paterson will highlight recent studies and temperature records that he says pour cold water on many of the most alarmist forecasts. --John Stevens, Daily Mail, 15 October 2014

British householders are facing soaring energy bills and winter power cuts thanks to the “folly” of relying on wind power, experts said last night. The green crusade of successive governments is set to double electricity bills for households and cost homes £26billion a year by 2030, it was claimed yesterday. The cost of renewable energy and carbon taxes will put an extra £983 a year on household bills by then, compared to relying on a mix of nuclear and new gas-fired power stations, three experts told a Lords committee. Last night Dr Benny Peiser of the Global Warming Policy Forum said: “The irony is that energy prices around the world are falling, particularly for oil and gas. But households are not profiting because Government policies are making energy more expensive.” --John Ingham, Daily Express, 15 October 2014

It sounded like a good idea [not]: build massive solar energy plants in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East to supply Europe with 15 percent of its electricity needs by 2050. But the consortium behind the ambitious plan has now admitted defeat following disagreements over funding and persistent political instability in the desert nations where the plants were going to be built. --Associated Press, 14 October 2014