Climate Change Update: France to close its oldest nuclear power plant end 2016. New tenders for solar and offshore wind power by end 2012. French President Francois Hollande called for deeper cuts in European Union carbon dioxide emissions as he sought to put the environment back at the top of the international agenda.

"Hollande recommended a 40 percent cut in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2030 and a 60 percent reduction by 2040 at the European Union level, well beyond the 20 percent target set for 2020. "We have an ambitious strategy," Hollande told an environment conference in Paris, adding he would defend those targets at the European Union level. The EU's current target is to cut emissions by 20 pct below 1990 levels by 2020. It has said it would consider moving to a 30 percent cut by 2020 if other rich economies followed suit with a similar level of ambition, but that is looking increasingly unlikely due to economic constraints caused by the euro zone crisis and opposition from some EU member states. Hollande also said Europe would reiterate its 20 percent cut target at the next round of U.N. climate talks in Doha in November."

'via Blog this'UPDATE 1-France seeks more ambitious EU carbon cuts | Reuters: