In a historic summit, European leaders comitted to reducing greenhouse gas emissions of all 27 EU member states by 20%, compared to 1990 levels. The ambitious target could grow to 30% if other leading polluting nations, namely the United States, China and India, pledge similar commitments.

The European commitment marks a milestone in the fight against global warming and was reached after difficult negotiations over the inclusion of nuclear power as a low-carbon source of energy. How the burden of implementing these cuts will be shared amongst member states is yet to be clarified, as the majority of poorer Eastern European states are heavily dependent on coal-fired electricity generation.

Europe's move signifies its commitment to the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol process and signals further support for mandatory carbon dioxide reduction schemes like the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS).

It furthermore creates a strong incentive for other nations to join the emissions reduction process.

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