EU set to miss 2030 emissions target

ensure that protesters did not hurt themselves.

He added: “We’re talking about protecting people’s lives. They [Shell] still own these structures. They are still responsible for them.

“One of the protesters could, for example, be engaged in graffiti painting and is hit on the head by a tin of paint which has fallen and they could be knocked into the sea.

“The defender suggests that the pursuer’s safety concerns are overblown.

“But no matter how well prepared these protesters are, one cannot simply know the condition of the anchor points or any part of the structure which they are climbing upon.”

Mr Barne said the court needed to impose an order which would prohibit the Greenpeace protesters from going within 500m of the platforms.

He added: “If that restriction is in place then police would have to intervene and people’s lives would be put in danger.”

Greenpeace’s advocate, James Mure QC, urged Lady Carmichael to reject the bid. He said that the organisation had a right to protest and that Shell had failed to show that this could be compromised. He said that Greenpeace had an “excellent safety record” and that its protesters would look after themselves.

He said that defenders had received training on how to board the installations and how to behave upon boarding them.

In reference to an attack on a Greenpeace boat by French special forces in 1985, Mr Mure added: “The only death that I’m aware of is when the first Rainbow Warrior was blown up in New Zealand.”

Yesterday, Lady Carmichael told parties in the case that she had concluded it would be correct to pass the order.

She said that even although Greenpeace had the legal right to protest, the court considered that the need for interdict was a greater consideration as the installations were private property and of potential risk to protesters.

She added: “The defender acknowledges that there are safety risks in that the defender makes reference to training and other steps that it has taken to mitigate the risks. I’m satisfied that the pursuer has made out a prima facie case for interdict.”

THE European Union has said it is likely to miss its 2030 target for reducing greenhouse gases, dealing a blow to the bloc’s efforts to be a leader in the fight against climate change.

The European Environment Agency said existing measures put the EU on course to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide and other planetwarming pollutants by 30 per cent in the next decade compared to 1990 levels.

Currently, the 28-nation bloc is aiming for a reduction of 40% by 2030, and some European leaders have called for this target to be raised to 55%, with a long-term goal of ending virtually all new emissions by 2050.

“Recent trends highlight a slowing down of progress in areas such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, industrial emissions, waste generation, improving energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy,” the agency said in a report.

“Looking ahead, the current rate of progress will not be enough to meet 2030 and 2050 climate and energy targets.”

The report was released as officials from almost 200 countries meet in Madrid for UN climate talks, where a mass protest is expected by green activists.

The EU’S new executive commission is expected to present its long-term plan for tackling global warming – dubbed the European Green Deal – next week.

Environmental campaigners said the EU should step up its efforts to ensure that the aim of the 2015 Paris climate accord of keeping global warming at 1.5C (2.7F) by the end of the century remains possible.

No matter how well prepared these protesters are, one cannot simply know the condition of the anchor points or any part of the structure they are climbing on