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So far, however, the results have fallen far short of expectations.

Ra?l Estrada, director of environmental affairs in Argentina’s Foreign Ministry and the head of the Argentine delegation at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-10), currently underway in Buenos Aires, admitted on Wednesday that the projects being submitted to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) do little to pro?ote renewable sources of energy and involve minimal technology transfer.

"This was not what we had in mind," said Estrada, who presided over the committee that drafted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. He was addressing the COP-10 plenary session devoted to discussion of the 2003-2004 report from the CDM Executive Board, made up of 10 representatives from different member countries. The results of the report are nothing less than disappointing.

The protocol signed in Kyoto, Japan, and scheduled to enter into force on Feb. 16 with 129 member countries, was designed to establish quantitative and measurable commitments on the part of the industrialized nations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and lead to global warming.

The CDM is one of the "flexible mechanisms" of the Kyoto Protocol, which make it easier and less costly for industrialized nations to meet the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets that they have agreed to under the protocol.

The CDM is also meant to "assist developing countries in achieving sustainable development."

Through this mechanism, an industrialized country with a GHG reduction target can invest in a project in a developing country without a target, and claim credit for the emission reduction that the project achieves.

The 30 industrialized countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have accepted the commitment to reduce GHG emissions to levels 5.2 percent lower than in 1990, by a deadline that ranges from 2008 to 2012.

To take advantage of the mechanism, a large number of private companies in industrialized nations have submitted projects to the CDM Executive Board, but few have been deemed satisfactory by the proposed receptor countries.

Australia, a major GHG producer, has still not ratified the Kyoto Protocol. As for the United States – which is responsible for 25 percent of global GHG emissions – President George W. Bush actually withdrew completely from the treaty in 2001, after it had been signed by his predecessor, Bill Clinton (1993-2001).

"We thought that the methodologies proposed would measure up to the commitments made, but the board’s work has been complicated by the shortcomings of the projects submitted, and this is absolutely unacceptable," Estrada told the plenary.

His stance was backed up by numerous delegations from countries of the South, with India stressing the fact that the mechanism expressly states the intent of promoting development in receptor countries.

Estrada also noted that the CDM Executive Board has to negotiate with teams from the applicant companies that work on these projects full time, which means that the board members are at a distinct disadvantage.

"We need to do more to protect the members of the board, and even establish immunity to prevent them from being subject to lawsuits," he added.

For its part, the Chilean delegation recommended making more resources available to the Executive Board, to allow its members to concentrate on their task, and not find themselves rushed into approving projects of doubtful environmental integrity.

As of now, the only project to be approved by the CDM board is a Brazilian plan to capture methane gas from landfills and use it to fuel a thermoelectric plant that will supply power to a poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro. The initiative is expected to reduce emissions by 12 million tons over the next 21 years.

But some environmentalists do not think the project is a model to be emulated.

Juan Carlos Villalonga, an energy specialist from the Argentine chapter of the environmental watchdog Greenpeace, told IPS that the Brazilian project, and others being submitted for implementation in developing countries, make an extremely limited contribution in terms of new technology.

He explained the challenges facing the CDM using the same "market logic" principles that served as its foundation.

"There is a large supply ?f countries in the South that want to be the recipients of these projects, but not a very high demand for emission reductions," Villalonga explained. One of the main reasons for this is that the United States, which should represent the highest demand for emission reduction, has pulled out of the treaty.

Complicating matters further is the fact that Russia, which ratified the Kyoto Protocol in November and suffered the collapse of its industrial sector in the late 1990s, has a large supply of emission-reduction credits that it could place on the "emissions trading" market, another mechanism of the treaty.

Because of the decline of industry in Russia, its carbon dioxide emissions are already far lower than they were in 1990, and thus lower than the target it is committed to meet through the protocol. As a result, other countries can purchase this "surplus reduction" to help meet their own targets.

This large supply of emission reduction credits, combined with a low demand, has led to a drop in the "price" of carbon emissions, so to speak. And if the price of carbon emissions is low, the projects proposed will be less ambitious, Villalonga said.

"The value of carbon emissions will determine the quality of projects," he noted. "A higher price is better for the developing countries, because it can attract investment in more sophisticated technology, like wind power."

For the time being, however, even with the potential for emission reduction credits, there is no way that investments in projects like these can be profitable.

Villalonga pointed out that the original spirit behind the Kyoto Protocol was to create a fund for the transfer of technology to the South, as a means of compensating for increased GHG emissions in the North. But then market incentives were introduced as a result of pressure from the United States, he said.

"These mechanisms have basically become loopholes that need to be plugged, because if they start approving projects with emission reduction objectives that are doubtful or difficult to verify, as in the case of carbon sinks, then the system will be debased, and emission reduction certificates will start circulating like counterfeit money."

These certificates are obtained by private companies that execute CDM projects and can then be purchased by industrialized countries to make up for any shortfall in their own emission reduction targets.

The CDM was established to create a form of profit incentive for projects that would not be profitable in their own right. But unfortunately, until now, that incentive has not been powerful enough to spur investment in renewable energy sources, Villalonga concluded.

Chiar daca o astfel de cafea se afla in studiu, este improbabil sa ajunga prea curand in cestile consumatorilor, sustin participantii la un seminar organizat la Londra de Organizatia Internationala a Cafelei. Culturile experimentale existente in Guiana Franceza au fost distruse de sabotori neidentificati, in luna august a anului trecut, impiedicandu-i pe oamenii de stiinta sa ajunga la o concluzie asupra efectelor acestui tip de cafea. Culturile modificate genetic (GMO), cum ar fi cele de porumb si seminte de soia, sunt cultivate pe scara larga in Statele Unite, Canada, China, Argentina si Brazilia.

Localnicii din Banda Aceh au intrat in panica si si-au parasit locuintele. Marti, mii de indonezieni din sudul Sumatrei s-au refugiat pe coline din cauza zvonurilor referitoare la producerea unui val seismic.

The ship had around 15 to 20 tons of oil in its tanks when it went down for reasons as yet unclear.

A spokeswoman from the Serbian Weather and Water Institute said inspectors were on the spot and experts had set up a floating screen to contain any oil spill.

Asta dupa ce in timpul lucrarilor de renovare a liceului a fost dezgropat un cimitir vechi de peste 400 de ani. Muncitorii lovesc cu tarnacopul in schelete ca in piatra seaca. Nu mai stiu ce sa faca cu atatea oase adunate din ianuarie pana acum. Au strans o parte din oasele mai mari in saci. O alta gramada zace intr-o magazie din curtea liceului. Nimeni nu gaseste o solutie. Primpreotul Bisericii Negre, parintele Christian Plajer, si directorul liceului vor sa se faca o slujba decenta si sa se inmormanteze osemintele.

In schimb, Ministerul Mediului si Gospodaririi Apelor (MMGA) sustine ca, in urma masuratorilor efectuate, nivelul de plumb este de doar 0,004 miligrame la litru. "In urma prelevarii de probe de apa din incinta inundata, zona Foeni, in data de 17 mai 2005, s-a constatat, in urma analizelor efectuate in laboratorul fizico-chimic al Directiei Apelor Banat, ca valoarea indicatorului plumb este de 10 ori sub valoarea admisibila pe care trebuie sa o indeplineasca apele de suprafata, utilizate pentru potabilizare", ne-au declarat reprezentantii MMGA. Acestia vor lua legatura cu specialistii germani pentru a vedea ce metoda au folosit in testarea apei din zona.

[url=http://www.adevarulonline.ro/index.jsp?page=articol&section_id=1&article_id=130361]http://www.adevarulonline.ro/index.jsp?page=articol&section_id=1&article_id=130361[/url]

"At the moment, instead of a 20 percent reduction we will achieve a 14 percent reduction," Blair told parliament after the government launched a review of its climate change policy.

"However, we have years to go before we have to achieve that target ?nd as we say today, we don’t accept we won’t meet it. We’ve got to make sure that we take the measures to meet it."

He added that Britain would, however, meet its more modest Kyoto protocol target of cutting emissions by 12.5 percent from 1990 levels by 2008-2012.

Blair has said he wants to make climate change a priority during Britain’s presidency of the G8 group of leading nations and the European Union next year.

Environmental groups said Britain needed to act urgently if it hoped to persuade other countries, like the United States, to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

"The government must make significant cuts in UK carbon dioxide emissions if Tony Blair really wants to lead the world in tackling climate change," said Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth.

The group called for more investment in cleaner power generation to replace ageing coal-fired plants as well as measures to improve energy efficiency and encourage less polluting transport options.

Britain is relying on a threefold expansion of renewable energy, greater energy efficiency and curbs on CO2 emissions from industry to meet its 2010 target.

Emissions fell in the 1990s as coal-fired power stations were replaced by cleaner gas ones, but they have risen in the past couple of years partly as generators burned more coal after a rise in gas prices.

Industry has been set limits on CO2 pollution under the first phase of the European carbon emissions trading scheme which starts in January.

If companies exceed their limits, they have to buy quotas from firms which undershoot their targets.

As part of the review, the government said it was considering its approach to the second phase of the EU’s carbon emission trading scheme which runs from 2008- 2012.

In October, Britain said it would increase carbon dioxide quotas for industry after complaints — especially from the power sector — that its CO2 reduction plans were too tough.

The government argues that its first proposal for cuts under the EU scheme was based on incorrect data and the new quotas will force industry to cut emissions substantially.

"Valoarea contractului prevede plata unei sume de 2,2 miliarde euro, dar are si o parte determinabila care include preturi unitare pe fiecare tip de lucrare complexa efectuata. Functie de acestea, la final se face o regularizare a pretului", ne-a explicat responsabilul citat. Solutia aleasa presupune ca suma platita de stat pentru autostrada ar putea creste considerabil peste cei 2,2 miliarde euro. Varianta aleasa a fost singura posibila deoarece la momentul semnarii contractului nu era stabilit traseul exact pe care va fi realizata autostrada si deci costurile finale care sunt functie de configuratia terenului si structura solului. La cererea Ministerului Finantelor Publice, preturile unitare prevazute in contract (aproximativ 50 de tarife stabilite pe tipuri de lucrari complexe) au fost comparate de firma britanica de consultanta Hyder cu valori medii practicate in Romania si in Marea Britanie pentru lucrari similare. In final, valorile unitare urmeaza sa fie inmultite cu volumul de lucrari concret efectuate si are loc ajustarea valorii estimative de 2,2 miliarde euro. Potrivit unor surse neoficiale demne de incredere, unele dintre tarifele unitare convenite cu Bechtel sunt cu 50% pana la 100% mai mari decat tarifele medii similare practicate in tara noastra. Spre exemplu, in timp ce pentru lucrari de excavare, pretul mediu practicat in Romania este de 2,37 euro/metru cub excavat, statul roman s-a angajat sa plateasca 3,43 euro, dar intr-adevar mai putin decat cei 5,10 euro platiti in Marea Britanie pentru astfel de lucrari. Furnizarea stratului de nisip este tarifata la un pret dublu fata de alte lucrari din Romania, dar la jumatate din pretul solicitat in Marea Britanie. Una din explicatii, spune fostul responsabil al CNADNR este faptul ca preturile mici cu care a fost realizata comparatia nu includ si transportul materialelor in imediata vecinatate a santierului. "Important este faptul ca, in raport cu lucrari similare din Croatia sau Bulgaria, preturile sunt mai mici. O comparatie exacta cu tari din vestul Europei nu a putut fi realizata deoarece in acestea in ultimul timp s-au facut mai degraba lucrari de reabilitare a drumurilor existente", spune fostul director. Raportul a fost comandat de Ministerul Finantelor si platit dintr-un imprumut nerambursabil acordat de Banca Europeana pentru Reconstructie si Dezvoltare si propus sa identifice "Valoarea Corecta" de realizare a autostrazii Brasov – Bors. Desi a fost primit de Ministerul Transporturilor, Constructiilor si Turismului (MTCT) la finele lunii decembrie 2004, oficialii acestuia refuza atat publicarea sa, cat si a oricarei alte concluzii trase de expertii britanici. Mai mult, desi reprezentantii MTCT si CNADNR sustin ca pretul este "ferm", acestia nu infirma existenta unor preturi unitare convenite contractual cu Bechtel.
Secretarul de stat pentru lucrari publice confirma continuarea lucrarilor la autostrada
Lucrarile la autostrada Brasov-Bors vor continua, iar plata datoriilor catre firma americana va fi efectuata dintr-un imprumut pe care partea romana il va angaja pe baza unor garantii acordate de EXIM Bank SUA, a declarat ieri ministrul delegat pentru Lucrari Publice si Amenajarea Teritoriului, Laszlo Borbely. Acesta a spus ca datoriile catre firma Bechtel ajung la circa 80 de milioane de euro, suma la care societatea ar putea solicita penalitati de aproximativ 2,5 milioane de dolari. Reprezentantii EXIM Bank SUA vor ajunge saptamana viitoare in Romania. Lucrarile la autostrada Transilvania au inceput anul trecut, in baza unui contract incheiat de fostul guvern cu Bechtel, iar finalizarea lucrarilor este prevazuta pentru anul 2012.

Timp de 40 de zile, elevii au participat la activitati de ecologizare a cartierului, a scolii si a Parcului Botanic, au realizat materiale informative si expozitii pe teme de mediu. In aceasta campanie au fost antrenati parinti, alte cadre didactice si peste 350 de elevi, colegi ai ?ECO-PROMOTORILOR?.

Campania a fost realizata in cadrul concursului de creatie si comunicare ?Cei mai buni ECO-PROMOTORI?. Acesta a avut loc concomitent in 20 de scoli participante la proiectul educational ?Creeaza-ti Mediul!?, din orasele Alesd, Arad, Baia Mare, Bistrita, Brasov, Bucuresti, Campulung Muscel, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Oradea, Pitesti, Ploiesti, Ramnicu-Valcea, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Timisoara, Targu Mures si Turda.

?Concursul ?Cei mai buni ECO-PROMOTORI? a reprezentat o etapa a proiectului ?Creeaza-ti Mediul!? si un bun prilej pentru partenerii nostri elevi de a-si dezvolta abilitatile comunicative, argumentative si de colaborare. Concursul a avut o tema fixa, insa elevii au avut libertatea deplina de a alege activitatile prin care sa transmita cat mai eficient informatiile despre mediu si protectia mediului inconjurator, acumulate pe parcursul acestui an scolar?, a declarat Radu Mateescu, Presedinte Executiv, Fundatia CONCEPT.

Compania Holcim (Romania) SA a asigurat fondurile necesare derularii campaniei de informare si va premia pe parcursul lunii iunie scoala in care s-a derulat cea mai creativa si eficienta campanie, prin donarea unei cisterne cu beton pentru lucrari de amenajare sau reparatii, ce vor fi specificate de catre institutia castigatoare.

?Realizat din dorinta companiei Holcim de a fi mai aproape de comunitatile in care activeaza si de a raspunde nevoilor de informare ale tinerei generatii, precum si ale formatorilor acesteia, proiectul are ca principal scop dezvoltarea unei atitudini prietenoase fata de mediul inconjurator. Campaniile derulate in cele 20 de scoli pilot, dar si modalitatile inedite prin care copiii si-au antrenat colegii sau parintii in activitatile cu caracter informativ sau de ecologizare, ne indreptatesc sa credem ca implicarea noastra in acest proiect a fost o decizie binevenita?, a declarat Luminita Oprea, Communication Manager, Holcim (Romania) SA.

Proiectul ?Creeaza-ti Mediul!? se deruleaza in anul scolar 2004 – 2005, este finantat de Holcim Romania si implementat de Fundatia CONCEPT in parteneriat cu Ministerul Educatiei si Cercetarii. Proiectul se adreseaza elevilor din invatamantul primar si gimnazial romanesc, clasele a IV-a si a V-a, si isi propune sa formeze, inca de la aceste varste, un comportament civic de protectie a mediului inconjurator.

In timp ce ineficienta in generarea si consumul de energie in statele balcanice este la un nivel ridicat, si foarte putina energie este produsa din surse regenerabile, proportia investitiilor pentru promovarea eficientei energetice si a regenerabilelor in regiune a ramas surprinzator de redusa. Aceasta este constatarea studiului ?Solutiile energetice durabile blocate? , elaborat de Stability Pact Watch (o coalitie de organizatii neguvernamentale din Europa de Sud-Est si CEE Bankwatch Network) ce se adreseaza in primul rand unor institutii financiare-cheie din regiune, precum Banca Europeana de Reconstructie si Dezvoltare (BERD), si le invita sa isi asume un rol mai proactiv in promovarea solutiilor energetice durabile in tarile balcanice.

Studiul arata ca proiectele mari din domeniul nuclear si al combustibililor fosili, determinate de interese politice pe termen scurt, blocheaza adesea initiativele privind eficienta energetica in sectorul de consum, ce ar aduce beneficii sociale si economice atat gospodariilor cat si companiilor. In acelasi mod, sunt mult intarziate reformele legislative si tarifare care sa accelereze investitiile in unitati decentralizate si de mici dimensiuni valorificand surse regenerabile de energie.

Ionut Apostol, din cadrul organizatiei TERRA Mileniul III, a declarat: ?Atat guvernele din Europa de Sud-Est cat si bancile multilaterale de dezvoltare, precum BERD, si-au stabilit in mod gresit prioritatile. Acest studiu arata ca, din nefericire, cuvintele-cheie pentru sectorul energetic in Balcani sunt ?supracapacitate? si ?intensitate energetica mare?, putine investitii fiind facute in eficienta energetica, sectorul cu cele mai mici costuri.?

Studiul ?Solutiile energetice durabile blocate? a fost publicat inainte de Adunarea Generala BERD, ce are loc saptamana aceasta la Belgrad (22-23 mai). Prezinta ?vocile neauzite? ale celor ce promoveaza eficienta energetica si energiile regenerabile in regiune: de la proprietari de magazine ce vand becuri eficiente, la experti, oameni de stiinta si oficiali guvernamentali.

Pentru o perioada prea mare de timp beneficiarii potentiali ai dezvoltarii eficientei energetice si a sursele regenerabile de energie au reprezentat ?voci de pe margine?. Argumentele prezentate in studiu includ:
#Eficienta energetica mai mare in sectorul de productie va duce la cresterea gradului de competitivitate al companiilor din regiune
#Eficienta energetica duce in mod clar la performante industriale mai bune (prin schimbarea proceselor industriale) si reducerea poluarii din productia energetica (prin scaderea consumului de energie), cu impact pozitiv asupra sanatatii
#Investitiile in eficienta energetica si surse regenerabile de energie vor reduce dependenta statelor balcanice de importurile de petrol si gaze, ce pun in pericol bugetele nationale in contextul cresterii pretului combustibililor
#Eficienta energetica mai mare in sectorul de consum va imbunatati conditiile de viata pentru un numar mare de consumatori, avand in vedere prognozele de crestere a preturilor. Acest fapt este important in special pentru segmentele vulnerabile ale societatii, precum pensionarii sau familiile tinere.

La Adunarea Generala BERD urmeaza sa aiba loc un forum de discutii intitulat ?Unda verde pentru eficienta energetica si regenerabile?. BERD doreste sa arate ca intentioneaza sa isi mareasca portofoliul de proiecte pe ?energie verde?. Referitor insa la actiuni concrete, spre deosebire de alte institutii financiare, precum Banca Mondiala si Banca Europeana de Investitii, BERD nu si-a stabilit inca obiective clare pentru investitiile in eficienta energetica si regenerabile. In acest context, studiul cere retragerea treptata a investitiilor publice in combustibili fosili si energie nucleara pana in anul 2010.

Studiul ?Solutiile energetice durabile blocate? este disponibil pe web la adresa: [url=http://www.bankwatch.org/publications/studies/2005/arrested_development_05-05.pdf]http://www.bankwatch.org/publications/studies/2005/arrested_development_05-05.pdf[/url]