Will EU drop climate pledge?

John Vidal and Juliette Jowit — Photo: AFP Grim scene: Greenpeace activists paint “Quit Coal’ onto the side of a coal cargo ship, off the coast of Spanish town of Gijon on October 6. They were protesting against the Spanish government for causing climate change by relying so heavily on coal for energy supply. London: EU heads of state plan to use the global financial crisis as an excuse to renege on climate change commitments, say sources close to energy talks in Brussels. Papers seen by us suggest the EU council, which meets next week, wants to drop the previous pledge of an automatic increase in emissions cuts if the world decides on a big climate change deal next year. It also intends to allow countries to avoid having... [read full story]