EuropaWorld 6/7/2001 Reductions in CO2 Emissions Proceed Despite Kyoto

Although on a political level the world has not been able to make progress on ratifying and implementing the Kyoto Treaty on limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases that are believed to contribute to global warming, that does not mean that reductions in emissions are not continuing to take place at a significant rate, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Energy Council (WEC).

In a statement issued last week the UN agencies said that voluntary actions by industry, governments and other organisations are leading to small but significant reductions in emissions of global warming gases. The findings challenge the widely-held belief that the stalling of the UN Climate Change Convention talks in The Hague last year, political disagreements over the science and the need for legally binding reduction targets had paralysed worldwide efforts to fight global warming.

By contrast, studies by the WEC indicate that the number of new clean energy schemes, government initiatives and renewable energy projects will, by 2005, save the equivalent of 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (C02) annually. This equals to a saving of over 3 per cent in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions emitted in the year 2000.

Moreover, the figure of 1 billion tonnes could even be a dramatic understatement, the authors say, for a survey of 91 countries has indicated that additional projects planned or in the pipeline could give rise to global C02 savings of double this amount by 2005, or 6 per cent of present emissions

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP, said the pessimism and gloom hanging over the UN Climate Change Convention talks, which are set to resume in Bonn on 18 July, had masked small but real progress. In particular he highlighted progress in China, which accounts for 14 per cent of global C02. "China has, despite economic growth estimated at 36 per cent, managed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 17 per cent since 1996/97. The figure of 17 per cent may prove premature, with the real reduction likely to be in the range of 10 or 12 per cent, but this is still remarkable and encouraging progress. It has been achieved by an active effort to promote energy conservation, end coal subsidies and support more efficient coal-fire power generation," Mr. Toepfer said.