13/11/2013 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
European society must decouple its energy consumption from economic and demographic growth and should moderate its energy needs by investing in energy efficiency and savings. This is the message from the Committee on Social Affairs following the adoption of a report prepared by Doris Barnett (Germany, SOC).
According to the adopted text, this need is particularly acute for heating, cooling and transportation in both industry and households, "where the diversification of energy sources, technologies and consumption patterns can lead to huge efficiency gains and create jobs”.
The committee shares public concern about the environmental, public health and seismic risks inherent in the use of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, technology. “Robust precautions are necessary to protect surface and underground water resources, as well as air and landscape. Cleaner technologies therefore need to be developed for the commercial exploitation of shale gas and oil,” the adopted text underlines.