23/03/2006 - Australian Minister
for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell,
today released a report outlining practical achievements
under the Australia-China Climate Change Partnership.
Senator Campbell said the excellent progress to
date demonstrated the benefits of close cooperation
between Australia and China, especially in the areas
of low emission technology, adaptation, and improved
scientific understanding of climate change.
“The Partnership focuses on practical, concrete
projects that have real benefits for both countries
in agreed priority areas such as renewable energy
technology, energy efficiency, emissions projections
and local government action,” Senator Campbell said.
“For example, Australian and Chinese researchers
are developing ways to both reduce greenhouse emissions
from agriculture and improve farm productivity by
reducing unnecessary use of nitrogen fertilisers,
which are both costly and potent greenhouse substances.
“Nitrous oxide has 310 times the global warming
potential of carbon dioxide, therefore this project
will have a significant greenhouse benefit as well
as providing economic advantages for farmers.”
Senator Campbell also announced a new project to
capture and use waste methane gas from coal mines.
“This three-year joint project will develop and
demonstrate an innovative new Australian technology
that captures harmful methane gas from coal mine
ventilation air and uses it to produce low emission
energy,” he said.
“The project will be undertaken at a major mine
site in China and will not only reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, but will also improve coal mine safety.”
The report released today - Australia-China Climate
Change Cooperation Progress and Achievements 2003-2005
- outlines progress under the partnership over the
last two years. It was endorsed by Senator Campbell
and China’s Vice Chairman of the National Development
and Reform Commission, Jiang Weixin, at the ministerial
meeting of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate in Sydney, January 2006.
Background
Progress Report on Climate Change Cooperation
Australia-China Climate Change Cooperation Progress
and Achievements 2003-2005 report
In late May 2004 the Australia-China Climate Change
Partnership was formalised through the establishment
of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). A first
round suite of six bilateral project areas were
announced under the MOU during August 2004 focussing
on: climate change and agricultural emissions modelling;
carbon accounting; greenhouse and land management;
and the impacts of land surface processes on regional
and global climate. Implementation of these projects
took place throughout 2004 and 2005 with some of
the longer term projects continuing in 2006.
In 2005, an additional four projects were agreed
for inclusion under the Partnership in the areas
of renewable energy, emissions modelling and agriculture.
In addition, in-principle agreement was given to
work on coal mine methane issues.
The Australia-China Climate Change Cooperation Progress
and Achievements 2003-2005 report details progress
made in all these project areas during the period
2003-2005. The report also includes a set of guiding
principles and priorities for future collaboration
as agreed by the two countries in January 2006.
Priority areas for the development and implementation
of projects over the next two to three years are:
1. Capacity Building
2. Renewable Energy Technology
3. Energy Efficiency
4. Capture and Use of Methane
5. Climate Change and Agriculture
6. Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry
7. Climate Change Science
New project under the Australia-China Climate Change
Partnership
Capture and utilisation of coal mine methane
The project will demonstrate that ventilation air
from coal mines, which is largely untapped to date,
can be safely captured to provide a source of electricity.
An additional benefit of using ventilation air methane
from coalmines is an increase in mine safety due
to the reduced risk of gas explosions. The project
will be implemented by the CSIRO over three years
commencing in early 2006 with the Australian Government
contributing a grant worth $350 000 to this $1.9
million project.
