Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate Officially Launched

The Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate was officially launched at an inaugural ministerial meeting in Sydney, Australia on January 11 and 12, 2006.

The partnership was formed in July 2005 by six countries--Japan, Australia, China, India, South Korea, and the United States--to address environmental pollution, energy security and climate change through the development and dissemination of clean efficient technologies, aiming to supplement the Kyoto Protocol. These six countries account for about half of the world's total population, gross domestic product (GDP), energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions.

At the meeting, 15 cabinet members in charge of foreign affairs, energy, or the environment together with 45 CEO-level corporate executives from a wide range of industries adopted a communique and a charter that define the partnership framework. They also developed a work plan that outlines the operation of eight task forces: (1) cleaner fossil energy; (2) renewable energy and distributed generation; (3) power generation and transmission; (4) steel; (5) aluminium; (6) cement; (7) coal mining; and (8) buildings and appliances.

Each task force will conduct its activities through public-private cooperation. Japan has committed itself to taking the lead in the steel and cement task forces.

http://www.env.go.jp/earth/ondanka/asia_pacif/charter.pdf
http://www.asiapacificpartnership.org/

Posted: 2006/04/13 11:38:12 AM
Japanese version