Partnerships Wire 3 May 2007 UNHQ, New York CSD-15 Partnerships Fair 30 April —8 May 2007 Inside this issue: CSD Partnerships Fair Discussion on Benefits of Partnering to Address Climate Change Challenges Partnerships Fair:Benefits of Partnering to Address Climate 1 Change Challenges New CSD Touch Screens 4 Terminals Launch of Partnerships E-Forum 5 (Left to right) Mr. Kevin Conrad, Coalition for Rainforest Nations, Mr. Matthew Quinn, nrg4SD, Information Desks May 2-3 6 Wales, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado (Vice-Chair CSD-15), Erin Birgfeld, Methane to Markets Mr. Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado effective projects to this end focusing Schedule May 3-4 6 (Brazil), Vice-Chair of CSD-15 opened on four areas: agriculture, landfills, oil once again the second session of the and gas, and coal mines. Partnerships Fair thematic discussions Ms. Birgfeld outlined the rationale for on 2 May in Conference room 7. creating a partnership with an exclusive Welcoming CSD participants, Vice-Chair focus on methane, explaining that as a Figueiredo indicated that this session gas, methane is 20 times more potent aimed at considering the challenges and and has a nearer-term effect on the lessons learned as well as identifying climate than CO2. As importantly, she key strategies that have proven Published by the Partnerships Team added, methane is also a valuable effective in the effort to implement resource, as it is a primary constituent Patricia Chaves, Senior Sustainable climate change goals and objectives of natural gas, and there is sound Development Officer through partnerships. market value for projects. She indicated Laura Hildebrandt, Economic Affairs Ms. Erin Birgfeld of the Methane to Officer that the marketability aspect tends to Markets Partnership introduced the be a more important driver for projects Phone: +1 (917) 367 2089/ 367 2028 initiative by referring to the 14 original than the need to address climate Fax: +1 (917) 367 2341 partner countries and the 6 additional change. partners that have joined since the Ms. Birgfeld emphasized some of the Email: [email protected] partnership was launched in 2004. In significant benefits and savings that can Web: www.un.org/esa/sustdev/ addition to the country partners, she be obtained through methane projects, indicated, there is a vast project such as decreasing the waste of fuels, network, which includes companies, improving safety in coal mines, multilateral development banks, and Contributors: improving air quality, diminishing odors other organizations that have an around landfills, and improving water Lucile Pages, DSD, UNDESA interest in methane reductions. quality benefits from reductions in The objectives of the partnership, Ms. runoffs from agricultural wastes. She Birgfeld explained, are to advance added that the four sectors of the recovery and use of methane as a partnership were selected on the basis valuable clean energy source and to of being major sources of methane, for encourage development of cost- which technologies already exist to cost- continued on Page 2 Page 2 Partnerships Wire Benefits of Partnering to Address Climate Change Challenges (continued) Secretariat opened his presentation continued from Page 1 identifying specific activities and policies to support methane recovery. with the following key messages: effectively address methane emissions in reducing rates of deforestation is She emphasized that Methane to Markets the immediate term. possible, positive incentives can is very focused on near term project counteract the drivers of Despite their marketability and other development, and has developed a deforestation, sustainable benefits, Ms. Birgfeld noted, there are database to help identify and promote development measures can catalyze several remaining barriers to the specific sites, such as landfills, where success, and funding should be development and implementation of potential projects can be developed. projects, which include a lack of available to better support awareness of methane as a source of She announced that the partnership will reforestation. hold a major expo in Beijing in October emissions, lack of awareness of existing Mr. Conrad explained that developing 30-November 1, 2007 to highlight project technologies for methane capture, countries do not want to lose opportunities and showcase methane- unwillingness to change within industries, opportunities for development, but capture technologies. and uncertain investment climates. that cases of success exist, such as in The genesis of the partnership, Ms. Providing an example of a Methane to Brazil and Costa Rica. He emphasized Birgfeld explained, was as an extension of Markets project, Ms. Birgfeld presented that to have an impact, the changes four voluntary domestic programs of the the case of a Jincheng coal mining must be made through positive project in incentives, rather than regulatory measures, and that the higher the “Methane projects use simple incentive, the more immediate the impact will be. He added that the technologies, are highly opportunity for sustainable marketable and have a major development must be taken into consideration in deforestation policies impact on climate change” and measures. Erin Birgfeld, Methane to Markets With respect to measuring current rates of deforestation, Mr. Conrad explained that there is no certainty regarding exactly how much China, the largest coal mine methane US EPA since the early nineties. She added deforestation is occurring, and that the project in the world. She explained that that, even in the absence of carbon numbers that do exist tend not to China has the highest coal mining financing, projects were already found to measure forest degradation, which also emissions in the world, and is therefore be profitable and having a significant has an impact on emissions. He an important target sector and country. impact on the reduction of methane emphasized that although She added that the project is a valuable emissions. deforestation accounts for 10-20% of example of how Methane to Markets the global carbon emissions, this is Ms. Birgfeld went on to explain that the assisted China to bring together technical insufficiently reflected by global structure of the Methane to Markets assistance from a variety for sources, measures and financing aimed to partnership is comprised of a US-based including the World Bank, Japan Bank for address climate change. He argued steering committee and subcommittees International Cooperation, Asian that a comparable percentage of the chaired by partner countries for each of Development Bank and the US Trade and globe climate change effort should aim the four sectors as well as project Development Agency. networks to support the work of each to address deforestation. In her conclusion remarks, Ms. Birgfeld subcommittee. She added that a special Mr. Conrad gave the example of Papua summarized that Methane to Markets is effort is being made to provide value- New Guinea where perverse incentives focused on near-term outcomes, is a added activities and side events to attract to implement international voluntary initiative with easy procedures industry and other participants to the development projects lead to the to join and is an example of a public- project networks. clearing of forests to grow coffee and private partnership working well, with other commodities, or even to build She outlined the work of the multiple win-win benefits. subcommittees, which have developed roads, without a full consideration of action plans and developed country Mr. Kevin Conrad, the Executive Director the larger impact of deforestation. profiles for each of the four sectors, of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations Where agriculture is an important part continued on Page 3 1 May 2007 Page 3 Benefits of Partnering to Address Climate Change Challenges (continued) continued from Page 2 deforestation and that the first Kyoto to engage in concrete actions and to Protocol commitment period can provide make a significant contribution to of the economy, he added, it is a testing ground for pilot instruments, climate change, particularly at a time unrealistic to expect countries to stop which should be a blend of market and when greater responsibilities are being deforestation without some predictable non-market instruments, as a devolved to regional governments. alternative or incentive in return. Mr. complement to the CDM. Conrad raised the question of how to de- Mr. Quinn provided an example from his link economic growth from carbon Mr. Conrad concluded his remarks own region of Wales, where they have emissions. He noted that in some emphasizing that deforestation is an responsibility for pollution control and developing countries the fossil fuel-based important source of emissions which does strategic planning of environmental economy is less embedded than in not entail high-tech solutions but projects. He argued that the region has, developed countries, and that it should requires financial incentives to provide therefore, a very strategic level of therefore be easier to government as an actor in sustainable shift to other sources of development and a conduit for delivery. energy. Mr. Quinn emphasized the objectives of “The CDM is not the nrg4SD, which aims at sharing Mr. Conrad emphasized knowledge between the different that the impacts of working for the regional government partners within the deforestation have a network as well as to work direct effect in ‘green’ ” collaboratively on the development of reductions in water