I just got off the phone from Copenhagen. Our team on the ground have asked for some help from Greenpeace supporters back home, so please read on.
Deep inside the Copenhagen conference centre, there’s a closed room of huddled negotiators from a handful of countries, one of which is Australia. They’re cooking up a plan under the direction of the oil barons and the global coal industry.
Does “CCS in the CDM” mean anything to you?
In short, it’s about Australia and some other countries like the Saudis trying to protect the coal industry at the expense of a cleaner future.
Here’s a bit of background or skip through to your instructions at the end.
Here’s what they’re trying to do
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was set up as a way for rich countries to promote sustainable development in poorer, developing countries. It allows big polluters in developed countries to “offset” their emissions by paying for projects that reduce emissions in developing countries.
In theory, the scheme is designed to encourage investment in clean technologies and sustainable development in countries that can’t really afford to do it themselves, with the aim of helping them leapfrong to a clean energy future.
As if the CDM didn’t already have a bunch of problems, Australian and a small bunch of other countries are making it worse.
They’re pushing for “carbon capture and storage” (CCS) from coal plants to be included under the system. So, rather than having to support renewable energy projects in developing countries, big polluters could support the building of new coal power stations that capture some of the emissions.
Australia is in on the whole deal because we want to export more coal. Saudi Arabia is in on it because they want to turn their empty oil and gas wells into a massive storage sink for carbon dioxide.
Here’s why it’s a problem
1. CCS technology is unproven and potentially unsafe, making it a high-risk strategy for reducing emissions.
2. Large amounts of money flowing into CCS pilot projects may mean less funds are available for clean solutions like renewable energy projects.
3. It risks locking in carbon-intensive technologies in developing countries when non-carbon energy sources are needed.
4. If rich countries offset their own emissions by purchasing large amounts of carbon credits from CCS projects, it would lower the amount of action those countries take to cut emissions from home.
YOUR INSTRUCTIONS
Our team on the ground are trying to make as much noise about this as they can and they need some help from people like you back home.
Please make a quick call to Penny Wong’s office on 02 6277 7920 and ask that:
Australia stop pushing to include Carbon Capture and Storage in the Clean Development Mechanism because:
1. It’s just another way to lock the world into a dependence on coal when we need to be focusing on renewable energy.
2. CCS is a high-risk and unproven strategy for solving climate change. Including it in the CDM will delay the transition to renewable energy.
Got it?
I hope so. Sorry it’s so complex, but that’s how it is – the devil is always in the details with these kind of negotiations.
Let us know how you go and if you have ideas for the next ones.
There is another big issue brewing, but we’re still doing the numbers on it and it’ll take another 24 hours or more to figure out what is actually going on. Understanding the negotiations is a bit like trying to crack the Da Vinci Code at times!!
Thanks for taking action and stay tuned.
