Estonia May Ask EU for Right to Pollute More
At a ministers’ meeting on November 4, Minister of the Environment Jaanus Tamkivi proposed a plan to apply for higher carbon dioxide emission levels for Estonia from the European Commission.
Brussels rejected Estonia’s request for 2008–2012 to emit 13 million tons of carbon dioxide. A year later, the state is asking for the right to pollute even more, wrote Eesti Päevaleht. Tamkivi’s plan foresees applying for a permission to emit 14 million tons of greenhouse gases.
It is a risky strategy, as the European Commission stresses the fight against climate change and will be sensitive to such a request.
Although it is unlikely that greenhouse gas emissions in Estonia will increase significantly in the next few years – to the point that the country’s quota needs to be increased – it would be possible for the government to make a profit selling its unused carbon credits to other countries or private companies, as it has done in the past.