BEIJING, China, November 3, 2004 (ENS) – China and the European Commission of European Union together announced ?42.9 million energy and environment program in Beijing today to improve energy efficiency in China and combat climate change. The European Commission and China will each pay about half the costs of the program.
The announcement comes as the result of a weeklong visit by EU Commission Director-General of the Directorate for Environment Catherine Day to Beijing that ended Monday.
The five year EU-China Energy and Environment Program was jointly launched by the Chinese State Development and Reform Commission and the Delegation of the European Commission of European Union, according to the Chinese official news agency Xinhua.
The cooperative program covers energy saving projects and the development of renewable energy and natural gas.
These projects are part of the EU's effort to work with China to limit global warming.
In the wake of Russia's decision to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, continued discussions between Europe and China are very important, said Day. "I am truly delighted that the Kyoto Protocol will now come into force, we have wind in our sails, and I am looking forward to fruitful discussions with our Chinese colleagues on the preparations for the climate change meeting COP10 in Argentina in December."
COP10 is the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, under which the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated.
One of Day's goals for her time in China was to establish a framework for regulatory cooperation in the fields of environment and climate change.
Day also explored options with the Chinese authorities for intensified cooperation on the implementation of the protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
CDM projects result in certified emission reductions for industrialized countries like those of the European Union created by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in countries without Kyoto emissions limits, such as China.
Day participated in a conference "Key vulnerable regions and climate change" on October 27 and 28 at the Sino-German Centre for Science Promotion in Beijing. The event was organized by the European Climate Forum and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact in cooperation with several high level Chinese university research centers.
Addressing delegates to the conference, she said the European Union is keen to work with China on "changing our economies and our energy policies to fit with a more carbon constrained future."
"Part of our development aid programs here in China are now focusing on energy efficiency, the development of renewables and the use of natural gas," Day said. "We are also keen to pursue CDM projects in China, to link up on environmental technologies, R&D etc. We would like to share knowledge on the science of climate change, on how we are each developing policies and methods of measurement and monitoring. In short to have a real, working partnership with China in this crucial policy area."
China ranks the second in energy consumption in the world, and its energy efficiency stands at around 33 percent, 10 percentage points lower than the developed countries, said Zhao Jiarong, director of the department of environment resources conservation under the Chinese commission.
In 2003, energy consumption in China reached 1.68 billion tons of standard coal, 11 percent of the total consumption of the world, among which coal took up 67.2 percent, crude oil 22.7 percent, natural gas 2.8 percent and renewable energy 7.3 percent.
Zhao said the introduction of the EU-China Energy and Environment program is expected to draw energy-saving experience from members of the European Commission and promote the sustainable development in China.
The protection of natural forests and biodiversity as well as access to water are high priority issues on the binational agenda.
The European Commission sees China's participation as crucial to the greenhouse gas reduction process. "The only way forward will be through increased participation of all developed countries, while allowing developing countries to engage in the fight against climate change without compromising their sustainable development and their fight against poverty," she told the conference delegates.
She explained Europe's idea of bringing developing countries like China into the Kyoto process through a "staged approach," built around the idea that developing countries will not be asked to fully participate in terms of targets and timetables until after 2012, when the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period ends.
"Instead," said Day, "reflecting the fact that many developing countries are already taking action to combat climate change, they would give commitments of various kinds so that the actions which they take can be taken into account in the global fight against climate change."
"The various stages could be based on different indices that could encompass per capita emissions, capacity responsibility, different transition periods for stabilizing emission," said Day. "Ideally, under such an approach all Parties would accept objective conditions that would define each country's specific contribution to multi-lateral efforts."
The European Commission is currently preparing for two new environment programs, the EU-China Biodiversity Program with a European contribution of 30 million euros, and the EU-China River Basin Management Program, with a European contribution of 25 million euros, Day said.
The EU is working with about 20 different international organizations in its Biodiversity Program, seeking to agree on concerted approaches to issues ranging from policy advice at a national level to the improvement of farmers' livelihoods and use of land in remote regions.
Both Europe and China have decided to adopt an integrated river basin management approach but practices for implementing this approach remain to be developed. "It's thus logical that we strengthen our relations in this field," said Day.
The River Basin Management Program will promote the implementation of integrated river basin management and regional development in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins and facilitate adjustment of the overall policy framework.
Day also held discussions with international experts on agriculture and rural sustainable development during the 2004 Annual General Meeting of the China Council for Cooperation on Environment and Development. This high level nongovernmental advisory body works to strengthen cooperation and exchange between China and the international community in the field of environment and development. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2004. All Rights Reserved
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