A feasibility study on slashing greenhouse gas emissions such as
carbon dioxide is to be rolled out by China to ensure clean
development in the next few years.
The country has received US$570,000 of assistance from the
governments of Switzerland and Germany and the World Bank to carry out the
study, which will be completed in 18 to 24 months.
The Ministry of
Science and Technology announced Tuesday in Beijing that the
study will focus on how to introduce a Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM) in the country.
This will minimize the negative influence caused by the global
climate change, said Liu Yanhua, director of the ministry's
Department for Rural and Social Development.
CDM is a part of those programmes defined in the Kyoto Protocol
under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. The UN framework became effective
in March 1994 to control global warming which may harm economic
development and people's lives.
The mechanism encourages industrialized countries to help
developing nations eliminate the influence of greenhouse gas to
sustain economic growth in harmony with environment.
China began to discuss the introduction of CDM in 1997 with the
World Bank and the governments of Switzerland and Germany.
The Ministry of Science and Technology will do its best to ensure a
cost-effective implementation of CDM in China, said Liu.
The World Bank will support China and other developing countries to
work out national strategies and build capacity to help them
approach sustainable development, said the bank's official Peter
Kalas.
A
special group - consisting of experts from Tsinghua University, the
Energy Institute of the State Development Planning Commission,
Renmin University and the State Power Corporation - has been set up
to carry out the CDM feasibility study.
Lu
Xuedu, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology,
said his ministry plans to select some power plants and big cities
to pilot the CDM project after the study is completed.
(China
Daily November 28, 2001)