Green Options

On Thursday, European heads of state meeting in Brussels decided to stick to previously set climate action targets despite pressure from several member states to loosen the them. The target, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, will be voted on in December.

EU energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg gave final approval to an EU-wide ban on incandescent light bulbs. The switch to energy-saving bulbs was approved in advance of a meeting of European heads of state, held next week.

Leaders of some EU countries may use the global financial crisis as an excuse to back out of climate change commitments, according to sources close to the ongoing energy negotiations.