OPINION
by Kim Chaix
When it comes to deploying energy efficient technologies — like clean cookstoves, improved charcoal-making kilns, and sustainable alternatives to wood, charcoal, and animal dung fuels for the world’s three billion energy poor — the ratio of words to action and funding has, until recently, been woefully lopsided.
But the agreement in Cancun to create a U$100 billion facility to help the most vulnerable developing nations adapt to Climate Change and reduce their emissions must be seen as a positive sign for advocates of global energy poverty alleviation.
However, while India and China continue to make progress on reducing their emissions from biomass combustion, under a business as usual scenario, sub-Saharan Africa shows no sign of abating it’s consumption of wood and charcoal.
Show me the money
In fact, it’s quite the opposite, which is why it’s a zero sum game for industrialized nations to reduce their carbon emissions only to see them grow in energy starved nations. But assuming the U$100 billion facility does channel funds towards energy poverty alleviation policies, the question unanswered in Cancun is where will the funding come from? A carbon tax and reduced government subsidies for the fossil fuel sector are a good place to start looking for the missing funding.
To Kyoto or not to Kyoto, that is the question.
The other big issue that will need to be resolved is the future of Kyoto, which, as we all know, ended up on the cutting room floor. As imperfect as Kyoto may be, it remains the foundational framework for the global carbon credit market.
And although Kyoto-approved CDM carbon credits have been overcome by non-Kyoto generated VER carbon credits, they both remain critical sources of funding for the large-scale deployment of appropriate sustainable energy technologies.
Maybe there will be no Kyoto 2.0 or CDM after the sunset of Kyoto 1.0 in 2012. Maybe all we will have left are Voluntary Emission Reductions carbon credits. Either way, clear market signals are needed to ensure uninterrupted progress in funding energy efficient projects already underway or on the drawing table. Resolving this issue will be critical in 2011.
(We’ll leave the issue of including black carbon in future emission reduction protocols for another post.)
Durban train is coming my way
In the meantime, let’s get the show back on the road and pile onto the train for the next stop on the tour: COP 17 in Durban, South Africa in December 2011.
Also on our tracking radar in 2011 will be the progress of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, the initiative launched in late September by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at her husband’s love-in in New York, the Clinton Global Initiative.
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