US ETS legislation sparks Hedegaard ire

European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard has reacted to US President Barack Obama’s signing into law of a bill barring US airlines from participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

A European Commission spokesman told IHS Jane’s that there was unlikely to be any official comment from Brussels for the time being, but after President Obama signed the anti-ETS bill on 27 November, Hedegaard used social networking site Twitter to express disappointment that Obama had failed to combat climate change, despite his renewed electoral mandate: “So far the re-elected President Obama’s climate change policies look exactly as in [the] first term. Wonder when we'll see the announced change?”