Why Europe leads on climate change

In January 2008, the EU announced an ambitious new plan to unilaterally reduce carbon emissions beyond its Kyoto commitments. An exploration of EU climate-change policy reveals a desire to minimise risk in the face of uncertainty about the precise impact of global warming. In taking a global leadership role, the EU seeks to enhance its prestige, to demonstrate to the United States that emission reductions can be done relatively cheaply, and to develop more affordable technologies that can be passed on to developing nations. EU policy is rooted in the same longing for security that led to creation of the social welfare state across Western Europe following the Second World War while reflecting a growing willingness to project European social-democratic proclivities onto the world stage.