Transcript Ana Unruh Cohen - Sustainable Energy Institute

International Climate Change Taskforce
• Established by the Center for American
Progress (USA), the Institute for Public
Policy Research (UK), and the Australia
Institute in 2004
• Co-chaired by Sen. Olympia Snowe and
Rt Hon. Stephen Byers MP
• International cross-sector collaboration,
including leaders from public service,
science, business and civil society in both
developed and developing countries
Summary of Main Recommendations
• Establish a long-term objective of preventing
global average temperature from rising more
than 2°C (3.6°F) above the pre-industrial level
• Building on UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, adopt
a global framework for the post-2012 period
• G8 governments adopt renewable portfolio
standard of at least 25% by 2025
• G8 governments double funding for energyefficiency and clean energy research,
development and demonstration
• G8 and other major economies form a G8+
Climate Group
Summary of Main Recommendations
• G8 countries shift their agricultural subsidies from
food crops to biofuels, especially from cellulosic
materials
• All developed countries introduce national cap-andtrade systems for carbon emissions
• Governments increase investment in renewable
energy and energy-efficiency through Export Credit
Agencies
• Developed countries help vulnerable countries
adapt to climate change and pursue the
establishment of international compensation fund
• Commit to raising public awareness of climate
change
Post-2012 Global Framework
Overview
• Builds on UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol
• Developed countries take on deeper legally
binding reduction commitments which would be
periodically negotiated
• Place the US and Australia on a parallel track
with the aim of integrating them after 2012
• Establish a three-stage process for developing
countries, which aligns climate and development
objectives as their national circumstances permit
US and Australia Integration
• Establish domestic emission caps
• Adopt cap-and-trade schemes, which
could be harmonized with EU or Kyoto
trading system
• Participate in Clean Development
Mechanism and similar assistance
programs to help developing countries
Developing Countries Integration
Three stage process:
– First stage: align development and climate
goals, adopt policies that decouple economic
growth from emissions growth
– Second stage: Commit to reducing the carbon
intensity of selected economic sectors; move
towards carbon intensity targets
– Third stage: Take on binding emission targets
Developing Countries Integration
Potential criteria for moving through stages:
• Capability to mitigate – GDP per capita
• Potential to mitigate – degree of energy
efficiency, emissions per unit GDP,
emissions per capita
Global Framework Flexibility
The framework would continue to develop in
accordance with three further considerations:
• The need to meet a long-term climate objective,
by ensuring that short-term targets are linked to
and consistent with the long-term goal
• The gradual transition over the long-term
towards a system of equal per capita rights to
use the absorptive capacity of the atmosphere
• Developments in climate science and
technological innovations
Recommendations for the G8
• Double spending on research,
development and demonstration of energy
efficiency and low- or no-carbon
technology by 2010
• Establish national renewable portfolio of
25% by 2025
• Establish national cap-and-trade programs
• Establish a G8+ Climate Group
Emissions Trading Policy
• Domestic programs outside of the Kyoto
system could be tailored to allow for their
integration into a common international
emissions trading regime, as long as parity of
the credits could be achieved.
• Pending the establishment of national
programs in the US and Australia, programs
on the regional and state level have the
potential to make large reductions in CO2
emissions.
Emissions Trading Policy: the G8’s role
• Recommend that all members develop and
implement national “cap and trade” programs
• Promote the development of common standards
for measurement and reporting of reductions as
well as clear and compelling domestic
compliance mechanisms to facilitate integration
of trading systems
• Promote the development of common standards
in their national systems for project-based
offsets
G8+ Climate Group
• G8 countries in tandem with other
critical countries, including developing
countries like China, India, Brazil.
• The world’s largest 6 developed countries
and the largest 6 developing countries
represent over 80% of world GDP, 70% of
global emissions and 60% of population.
• Small enough to effectively negotiate an
accord
G8+ Climate Group Technology Partnerships
• Stimulating the market penetration of
highly efficient vehicles
• Promoting biofuels, especially from
cellulosic material, through the diversion of
agricultural subsidies
• Loan guarantees for CO2-capture-ready
integrated gasification combined cycle
(IGCC) power plants
Helping HEVs
• High Efficiency Vehicles (HEVs) have
emerged from new (hybrid-electric engines)
and mature (diesel engines) technologies.
• They offer attractive near-term options for
making significant reductions in fuel
consumption and CO2 emissions.
• However, even with fuel savings cost, their
higher initial cost remains a barrier to their
wider adoption.
Helping HEVs: the G8’s role
• Take steps to increase the deployment of
HEVs for the long term
• Possible policy options include:
– Efficiency standards
– Price incentives
– Government purchases
• Explicitly seek to engage key auto
manufactures in G8 countries as well as in
China, India and Korea
Promoting Biofuels
• Globally the transport sector accounts for
~ 1/3 of global CO2 emissions, of which the
G8 countries emit 60%.
• Many countries – including some large
developing countries – import a significant
fraction of their oil supply, creating major
foreign policy and environmental issues.
• An increased use of biofuels can reduce oil
demand and help alleviate international and
environmental problems.
Promoting Biofuels
• Currently, biofuels are only a minor component
of fuel in most countries because biofuels are
more expensive compared to fossil fuels.
• Most G8 countries already subsidize biofuel
crops under food programs so the application of
these subsidies to biofuel production should be
fairly straightforward.
• Refocusing subsidies could make biofuels pricecompetitive with gasoline, as well as reduce food
overproduction and lessen the distortion of
international food markets.
Promoting Biofuels: the G8’s Role
• Adopt a commitment to develop proposals
for shifting subsidies from food production
to biofuel production
• Individual countries’ actions need not be
harmonized
• Common action would focus attention, and
make a strong statement of international
political will, in favor of biofuel programs
Cleaning Up Coal
• While we should aim to reduce subsidies to
fossil fuel projects over time and prioritize
support for renewables and energy efficiency,
coal is expected to retain a major role in the
power sector in several important parts of the
world for some time
• Without some strategy for dealing with
emissions from the coal sector, it may be
impossible to address climate change in these
countries.
Cleaning Up Coal
• IGCC plants provide the only cost effective
way to capture CO2 while using coal.
• They also offer near-term public health
benefits because their emissions of
traditional pollutants are far lower.
• However, IGCC plants are not currently
cost competitive with conventional plants.
An incentive is needed to spur the
construction of IGCC plants now.
Cleaning Up Coal: the G8’s role
• Commit to supporting IGCC through loan
guarantees under their Export Credit
Agencies (ECAs)
• Funds could come from diverting existing
ECA support to coal projects and in new
money, although not at the expense of
renewable or energy efficiency projects.