04 Sep 2007 - Sydney,
Australia – Despite Asia-Pacific’s unrestrained
use of coal — and its contribution to greenhouse
gas emissions — a new WWF report finds there
is a role for the fossil fuel in a carbon-constrained
energy future.
The report, Coming Clean: The Truth and
Future of Coal in the Asia-Pacific, released
on the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit, acknowledges
that coal will contribute an important part
to the energy supply of the emerging economies
in the region, in particular China and India.
Coal and developing nations
According to the report, coal has a role
to play in meeting the region’s energy demands
but that it must be reduced to no more than
20% of all energy produced; tempered with
the introduction of cleaner coal technologies,
specifically carbon capture and storage,
and regulated by government policies designed
to better protect local environments and
communities.
With 88% of the current global increase
in coal use coming from the developing nations
of Asia, the report says industrialized
nations need to assist developing economies
to implement low emissions technologies
in order to prevent dangerous global climate
change.
To do this will require new forms of technology
transfer.
Based on independent analyses commissioned
by WWF from energy experts across the region,
the report finds that the market value of
coal does not reflect its toll on human
health and the local and global environment.
If these factors were taken into account
alternative energy technologies including
low-emission coal technologies would be
more economic.
Coal and global warming
Coal’s impacts on the region range from
the depletion of arable soil, to diminishing
clean water supplies and severe air pollution
to grave respiratory illness and displaced
and disenfranchised communities. But perhaps
coal’s greatest threat is its significant
contributions to global warming, which stands
to unleash potentially cataclysmic environmental
impacts.”
“The Asia-Pacific’s coal use is not just
a climate change issue but is also a community
and local environmental issue," said
Ina Pozon, WWF International’s Asia-Pacific
Coal Initiative Coordinator and author of
the report.
"Coal currently plays a dominant role
in developing countries, such as China and
India, and it is unrealistic to expect an
immediate shift away from coal."
The report, she adds, provides parameters
that define responsible coal use that allow
developing countries to continue using this
fuel to achieve economic growth, while minimizing
its impact on people and the planet, particularly
when it comes to global warming.
Jacqueline McArthur, Media Communications
Manager
WWF-Australia
