India and Uk Sign Co-Op Statement
Cabinet Okays Plan To Fight Global Warming
Seoul Resists International Pressure To Commit To Reducing Co2 Emissions
U.S.-China Energy Research Urged
U.S. Wants Clearinghouse For Hemispheric Energy Works
Moosa Has Talks With German Counterpart
Eu Approves Funding For Energy Saving, Renewables
Japan To Take Steps To Promote Use Of New Energies

India and Uk Sign Co-Op Statement

New Delhi - INDIA and the United Kingdom signed a statement of co- operation on sustainable transport with the basic aim of sharing experience and expertise in prevention and control of vehicular pollution. The co-operation statement was signed by the Union minister of environment T R Baalu and the British deputy prime minister John Prescott. Support from the British government would come in for funds for studies that would eventually lead to the development of basic principles on creating a sustainable transport system in growing urban areas.

``This is a unique co-operation because it is between a developed and developing country looking for common solutions that need not wait for the signing of the Kyoto Protocol under the Climate Change convention,'' Prescott said at a press conference. He said that while an exact figure could not be put on the total funding, it would be around £7,00,000. Of this, £50,000 would go to the Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from two- wheelers in Delhi. Other intiatives include A UK funded study to explore the scope for attracting private finance to help develop inspection and maintenance regime in India and another to study the potential effects of climate change in India.

``This package of measures shows that we are determined to make this initiative work,'' Mr Prescott added. Mr Baalu said collaboration between the two countries would be focused on technology transfer, among other things, development of air quality strategies and systems for monitoring vehicular pollution and the designing of an inspection and maintenance system to control vehicular pollution. When asked how the the Indo-UK studies could help given that there are already a plethora of studies on how to cut vehicular pollution in Delhi, the minister said that a lot more need to be done in terms of training the sta-ff of pollution control agencies

See also -- The Hindu:
http://www.indiaserver.com/thehindu/1999/12/07/stories/02070001.htm

Times of India:
http://www.timesofindia.com/071299/07indi9.htm

Ottawa -- The fight against global warming is the most profound economic challenge facing the country since the Second World War, says a secret cabinet document that outlines a $1.6-billion, five-year plan to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases Canadians pump into the atmosphere.

The scale of change to the Canadian economy will be far greater than the oil shocks of the 1970s or free trade, it says, but it also notes that dealing with global warming will create economic opportunities if the government acts now.The document obtained by The Globe and Mail outlines a presentation to cabinet made by Environment Minister David Anderson and Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale in November.

Government sources say the plan has been approved in principle by the cabinet, but that doesn't mean it will be implemented. Many memorandums that obtain cabinet approval get no financing in the budget because the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance deem their priority low. Government sources say a scaled-down version has also been prepared in case Finance balks at the cost.

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere. They are largely produced when oil, coal and gas are burned. Reducing emissions will require dramatic gains in energy efficiency over the next 10 years, the document says. A separate briefing note suggests Mr. Anderson and Mr. Goodale may have difficulty getting some of their cabinet colleagues to agree on the need for immediate action and notes that Industry Minister John Manley "has not been an evident supporter to date." In December, 1997, Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol and agreed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 6 per cent from 1990 levels by 2012. In real terms, that means a reduction of 26 per cent because of the rise in emissions since 1990.

It outlines the proposed federal strategy to achieve that goal, which includes spending $955-million on measures to reduce emissions, but doesn't go into specifics of how the money would be spent. Some of the possibilities being bandied about are said to include incentives to businesses that meet emission-cut targets and efforts to improve energy efficiency. A "carbon tax" on emissions has been ruled out. Another $235-million would go toward improving Canada's scientific capability to understand what is happening to the world's climate and what those changes could mean, and $110-million would go toward figuring out how best to adapt to higher temperatures and the storms and erratic weather that would result.

In addition, $335-million was approved in principle in June for an international strategy. Environmentalists who have read the document say it is a strong first step and a sign that Ottawa is taking global warming seriously. But they worried it will lose out to tax cuts or other spending priorities in the February budget. "We are concerned that it will fall through the cracks," said John Bennett of the Sierra Club of Canada.

The document makes it clear that those pushing the climate-change issue are frustrated with the lack of progress made so far. In addition to the cabinet infighting, there's a concern the tripartite alliance between government, industry and environmentalists -- who are working together on a series of reports on the country's options for meeting its Kyoto commitments -- might crumble if Ottawa doesn't take a stronger stand on the issue. Provinces and industry are just coming on board, according to the document, with Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia taking the most progressive approaches. Ottawa must, it says, be a leader.

"Support is fragile. . . . Most need a clear signal that government is serious before committing to action. Without this signal we lose momentum." The cabinet was also warned that Canada is already falling behind competitors who are making concrete steps to tackle climate change.

The European Union has implemented energy-use taxes (which are offset by declines in payroll taxes) and voluntary efficiency-improvement measures for automobiles. Even the United States and Australia, two notorious laggards in recognizing the need for action, have outdone Canada so far. The U.S. is spending $1.4-billion and Australia $1- billion on renewable-energy and energy-efficiency initiatives, the document says. But domestic measures will not be enough to meet the Kyoto target. The document suggests any hope Canada has of meeting its Kyoto target relies heavily on being allowed to buy emission credits from developing countries.

Whether or not emissions trading, and other measures that would allow Canada to skirt its own emissions cap, will be allowed under the Kyoto Protocol has yet to be determined. Canada is expected to push hard for such mechanisms at a meeting next fall in The Hague.

EMISSIONS ON THE RISE
Canada's greenhouse-gas emissions -- which the government has committed itself to cut drastically -- have risen every year in the 1990s, a new report shows. Environment Canada's latest study of gases believed to be the root cause of global warming shows emissions levels were 13 per cent higher in 1997 than in 1990.

Environmentalists say that increase shows the government has done nothing concrete to tackle emissions in this country despite giving the climate-change issue plenty of lip service. "This is no surprise -- and those numbers are two years ago. Imagine where we are today," said Steven Guilbeault, a climate-change specialist with Greenpeace. "We haven't put into place any measure of consequence to fight greenhouse gases.

"The federal government has to show some leadership on this issue." In the United States, over the same period, emissions increased 11 per cent, Environment Canada said. In Canada, it is estimated that 682 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and equivalent gases were pumped into air in 1997, up from 601 million tonnes at the start of the decade. The primary culprits were increased fossil-fuel production (largely for export), and increases in transportation consumption by Canadians. There may be some good news, though. The rate of increase in greenhouse-gas emissions slowed slightly. Total emissions were up 1.5 per cent from 1996 to 1997, after increasing 2.8 per cent the previous year.

Art Jaques, a specialist on greenhouse-gas data with Environment Canada, said even that might not be an indicator of anything. The U.S. showed a similar trend that year and attributed it to a warm winter. Mr. Jaques said the numbers show how much work there is to do in educating the public about the issue.

C-News: http://www.canoe.com/CNEWSPolitics9912/15_earth.html

As international negotiations on climate change accelerate under the mantle of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, pressure on Seoul, the world's 11th largest emitter of carbon dioxide, is increasing. Government officials of environment-related agencies had long said pressure, mainly from the United States, came through working-level channels for Korea to start reducing its CO2 emissions earlier than the proposed 2018.

But according to a local news report published Tuesday, pressure is increasing. And coming it's from the top. The report said that U.S. President Bill Clinton on Oct. 15 sent a letter to President Kim Dae- jung, asking Seoul to set its greenhouse gas reduction target at 2008, 10 years earlier than required.

The letter was timed just before the latest round of global talks on reducing carbon dioxide emissions held in Bonn Oct. 25-Nov. 15. Seoul responded to the pressure, announcing in Bonn that it would begin reducing emissions on a "voluntary but non-binding" basis in 2008. However, it did not present a reduction target rate as did Argentina, which set its target at 2 to 10 percent CO2 reduction in the period from 2008-2012. Nor was the rate consistent with the U.S. President's request.

"Negotiation is not something that is done on a unilateral basis. Our stance is that we will start to make 'binding' obligations in 2018, as initially proposed under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol," said an Environment Ministry official who asked not to be named.

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, meanwhile, said that the government takes the "U.S. request" more as an "expectation" than a compulsion. Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, 38 developed countries would have to meet a binding CO2 reduction obligation starting in 2008. The 38 countries have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels during the period 2008 to 2012. Korea, along with other developing countries, said that it would agree to binding obligations starting in 2018.

The nation has developed an economic structure highly dependent on fossil fuel. This makes Seoul vulnerable to international pressure regarding the CO2 reduction. The high dependency on fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, also enlarges the economic impact of reducing CO2, the greenhouse gas that is emitted when the fuels are burnt.

According to the Energy Economic Research Institute, 84 percent of the energy consumed in the nation is produced through the burning of fossil fuels. Under this structure, reducing C02 by 5 percent in 2010 would erode the gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.47 percent in that year, by 0.71 percent in 2015, and by 0.96 percent in 2020.

According to another report written by the LG Economic Institute, the GDP will shrink almost in half, to 116 trillion won in 2010 from the 279 trillion won posted in 1996, if Seoul were to start meeting reduction obligations from 2008. Industry analyst said that this would set the economy back to 1985 levels.

The government is studying a set of administrative measures to deal with this blow to the economy. The Environment Ministry, for instance, is reviewing the feasibility of a domestic emissions-trading scheme by businesses to be launched sometime after 2001. And since 1998, the ministry has been overseeing a program in which scores of businesses have voluntarily pledged to cut CO2 by 8 percent and take other energy- saving measures over the course of five years. The government is also considering levying an emission tax.

The timing of implementing these administrative programs is a vital determinant to the health of the nation's economy, ministry officials say, so Seoul wants to set its own timetable in meeting CO2 reduction obligations. Business analysts said that some sectors, such as automobiles and semiconductors, which are already worldwide industry leaders, may be ready for reduction programs. But industries such as petrochemicals and steel will meet difficulties.

"Prime export industries, such as automobiles and semiconductors, are being pushed from the international market side to take action," Chung Ye-mo, chief researcher with the Samsung Global Environment Research Center, said. On the other hand, he said, energy-intensive industries, such as petrochemicals and iron and steel, are neglecting to take appropriate measures.

However, the mechanics of the Kyoto Protocol will make it hard for Seoul to completely ignore U.S. pressure. For the Kyoto Protocol to take effect, countries that emit 55 percent of the world's CO2 and 55 signatory nations will have to ratify it. The bargaining power of the United States as it pushes developing countries to set earlier reduction targets ironically comes from the fact that it is the largest CO2 emitter, having emitted 36.1 percent in 1990, making its ratification of the protocol vital.

The environmental concerns of the rising level of CO2 emission are another pressure cooker. Seoul reported to the U.N. Framework that its emission of CO2 will rise 76 percent from 1998's 141.3 million total carbon to 249.3 million total carbon in 2020.

A report by the National Research Council and its Chinese counterparts yesterday recommended increased collaboration between the U.S. and Chinese governments on developing cleaner energy technology and increasing energy efficiency to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming. An outgrowth of a presidential summit in 1997, the report recommends that Congress and the president authorize three agencies to work in China that are now barred from doing so.

The report noted, however, that the "relationship between China and the United States is currently in a period of some tension over both political and economic issues." Those tensions include the aftermath of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, last May and allegations of Chinese espionage at the U.S. national laboratories.

Notwithstanding those differences, according to a summary of the report, "The Agency for International Development, the Trade and Development Agency and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation could apply their expertise in market reform and management" to encourage cleaner, more efficient energy use.

The United States, with its high per-capita energy use, and China, with its huge population and growing energy demand, are the two largest energy consumers. Together, they account for more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions, the report said. In 1997, leaders from both countries signed an Energy and Environment Cooperation Initiative pledging to work on energy, environmental and trade issues.

The report, which was also funded by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, suggested that China might provide a market for clean-coal technologies that are in limited demand in the United States because utilities have converted to cleaner natural gas plants.

MIAMI - The United States is proposing a hemispheric clearinghouse to promote energy projects such as power stations in Latin America and the Caribbean, U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said yesterday. Richardson also said during a speech to a meeting of Caribbean and Latin American trade leaders that he was also campaigning for an initiative to boost development of natural gas projects in the hemisphere. By harmonising legal, regulatory and fiscal policies, the initiative would encourage gas pipelines such as one proposed to deliver Peruvian gas to Brazil through Bolivia. "In simple terms, it would spur the development of projects across borders," Richardson said.

The proposed energy-projects clearinghouse would tap existing lending sources such as the Inter-American Development Bank, help governments and entrepreneurs fine tune proposals, and seek private-sector aid for projects, Richardson said. "I am working with the Inter-American Development Bank to promote the creation of a Facility for Energy Sector Initiatives that will help bridge the gap between resources in search of good project ideas, and good project ideas in search of resources," he said.

Richardson gave few details and, at a news conference, described the energy-projects proposal as preliminary. But he said he had received an enthusiastic response from President Enrique Iglesias of the IDB, a multilateral lender whose biggest shareholder is the United States. Roughly a third of the resources at the IDB, a 46-state institution with loans out in 26 countries, is now dedicated to infrastructure projects involving energy, transport and communications. Other monies go to health, education, environmental and production projects. "There is no pool of resources from which the IDB, the countries involved, or other interested parties can draw to help put the deals together," Richardson said.

PRETORIA - Environmental Affairs Minister Valli Moosa held talks on Tuesday with his German counterpart Jurgen Trittin on the implementation of the Bilateral Agreement on Environmental Co-operation between South Africa and Germany. Environmental issues and challenges facing both countries were discussed, and a number of common areas were highlighted, Moosa's office said in a statement.

BRUSSELS - The European Union said yesterday it had agreed financing for two energy programmes designed to encourage energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy sources.

A joint committee from the 15 EU governments and the European Parliament approved funding of 77 million euros for the so-called ALTENER programme - to boost renewable energy - for the 1998-2002 period. It also agreed 66 million euros for the same period for the SAVE programme, which aims to stimulate energy efficiency and encourage investments in energy conservation by both industry and private consumers. The agreement will be formally adopted after votes by the parliament and by the Council of Ministers, which brings together the 15 EU governments.

TOKYO, Dec. 11 (Kyodo) _ The Agency of Natural Resources and Energy will actively encourage the use of new energy sources such as wind and solar power generation as a way to avert global warming, agency officials said Saturday. A new energy subgroup will be set up under the Advisory Committee for Energy, an advisory panel to the trade minister, to study the practicability of actual use of new energy sources and new technological trends.

The subgroup, to be made up of experts and officials from Japan's energy industry, will then consider means to promote the use of such energy sources, the officials said. It will hold a first meeting Wednesday, they said. The agency's decision came in response to mounting calls for greater use of new fuel sources due to a loss in public confidence in nuclear energy in the wake of Japan's worst nuclear accident, which occurred in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, in September.

New energy sources also include fuel-cell batteries and biomass generation using lumber and discarded wood or fuel from garbage. The government's outlook on long-term energy supply and demand, as revised last year, proposes to raise new energy's share of overall supply to 3.1% from the current level of slightly above 1 % in 2010. According to government sources, the subgroup will analyze new trends in the development of technology to harness new energy, steps being taken by local governments and the policies adopted by various countries overseas.

The subgroup will also review problems in pushing the use of such energy sources as well as discuss how to go about propagating their use beyond current levels.

Japanese civic groups are clamoring for Tokyo to adopt a system similar to those used in countries such as Germany and the United States, which require electric power companies to use a set amount of electricity produced from new energy sources. While the introduction of such a system is part of the subgroup's agenda for discussion, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the electric power industry are against the idea at the moment.

Although the government has taken steps to promote the use of new energy, such as enacting a law on the promotion of the use of new energy in 1997 and offering subsidies, its use has not spread as widely as expected, leading to calls for Tokyo to take new policies. Under a protocol signed at a U.N. climate change conference in Kyoto in December 1997, Japan is obliged to reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide by 6% from 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

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