Asiapac to Improve Energy Efficiency, Sets No Targets
Date: 30-May-07
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Fayen Wong
The 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group said in a statement that its countries were encouraged to improve regulatory frameworks to support investment in refining capacity to meet growing demand, including demand for cleaner fuels.
The group said its oil import dependency is forecast to rise to 52 percent in 2030 from 36 percent, and it has estimated that it needs investments of about US$6 trillion to meet energy requirements through 2030.
"You need technologies which you can deploy to allow you to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pursue economic growth," US Deputy Secretary of Energy Clay Sell told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.
The Pacific rim countries agreed to develop and use more efficient energy technologies such as renewables, clean coal and natural gas to reduce carbon emissions. But the statement did not make any reference to greenhouse gas emissions trading.
"The Ministerial Communique is extremely disappointing because it does not show leadership and acknowledge the need for emissions targets," said Sven Teske, Greenpeace International's director of renewable energy.
"Without strong policies to shift the energy mix away from fossil fuels it will fail to cut emissions significantly and quickly."
APEC said members have agreed to work with the International Energy Agency to develop energy efficiency indicators. They are also encouraged to individually set goals and draw up action plans for improving energy efficiency.
Countries which are keen to develop nuclear power are urged to join an ad-hoc regional nuclear body to ensure safety, security and waste handling issues are adequately addressed, APEC said.
NO PACT
Energy ministers from APEC met in the northern Australian city of Darwin this week to discuss carbon emissions and energy security. The group covers about 40 percent of the world's population and 60 percent of the world's energy demand, and includes major polluters the US and China as members.
Australia and the United States have refused to ratify the UN Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which sets caps on carbon emissions in developed nations but sets no binding limits on developing economies such as China and India.
"A regional pact is not the best solution. Each country brings its own unique situation, its own assets and limitations," Sell said.
Sell's view was backed by Australia's Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane, who said each country will "need to chart its own path and find the appropriate solution" to combat the problem. The Australian government, which has come under public pressure in recent months to take a tougher stance to fight global climate change, will receive a report on Thursday on possible models for pricing carbon pollution without hurting its coal industry.