At the most recent round of climate negotiations in Bonn, which involved 166 governments, delegates debated how industrialised countries will be given credit towards the emissions targets agreed two years ago in the Kyoto Protocol, by investing in clean energy in developing countries.

In principle, this Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) seems like a very good idea. But British government delegates joined environmentalists in warning that investment in cleaner Western-style coal boilers and power stations in developing countries could use up most of the funding for the introduction of renewable energy technologies.

"China is building a coal-fired power station about every two weeks," says Peter Betts, a member of the British delegation. "If investments in cleaner coal burning in China were allowed, it alone could soak up 90 per cent of CDM funding by 2010."

As a result, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, would lose out because they are currently more costly. "In the last 10 years, the growing efficiency of fossil fuel use has been preventing the development of renewables by making coal, in particular, cheaper," says Anil Agarwal, director of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and the Environment.

"The danger is that the CDM will end up effectively subsidising the fossil fuel sector. "It will push countries such as India into development on the Western model rather than using renewables," added Agarwal.

In Bonn, countries with large nuclear industries such as France also called for nuclear power to qualify for the CDM, with a view to helping would-be nuclear nations to develop domestic power programmes. Nuclear companies had more than 100 lobbyists at the conference.

Rules for the CDM should finally be agreed next year. In the worst case, Betts warns that existing activity could qualify as CDM activity. Most developing countries are already improving the efficiency of their coal-burning--burning a tonne of coal in China, for example, produces 50 per cent more energy today than it did 15 years ago and in India it produces 30 per cent more.

By investing in further improvements under the CDM, Western countries could claim carbon credits for developments that might have happened anyway. Without stringent rules to stop this, Betts argues, the Kyoto Protocol could be seriously undermined.

This article will appear in the November 13 issue of New Scientist New Scientist. Copyright 1999 - All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by New Scientist and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written authorization from New Scientist.

TERRADAILY.COM
More Trees Now!
Hanover - September 29 1999 - Rising levels of greenhouse gases have led to faster tree growth in arid regions. The discovery boosts the case for planting forests in dry areas to combat the effects of global warming. Plants combine water with carbon dioxide to create complex chemicals. Xiahong Feng of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, has shown that the rise in atmospheric CO2 over the past 200 years has made this process more efficient.

Greenhouse at SpaceDaily