US vows to 'go beyond Kyoto'

SYDNEY - The United States is to push for a "common strategy" to cut pollution at talks between six nations and industry leaders seen by critics as an attempt to usurp the Kyoto Protocol.

The US, which has rejected Kyoto due to its binding greenhouse gas reduction targets, will look to agree "industry-specific" reforms to cut emissions, including the introduction of new, greener, technologies.

Washington will come to the Sydney talks promoting mandatory and voluntary targets to cut pollution in mining and heavy industries.

The United States, Japan, China, India, Australia and South Korea, and some of the world's biggest resource and power companies, are to meet this week. Environment groups view the partnership as a breakaway from Kyoto.

"Each of the countries will come to the table with its own portfolio of actions," said James Connaughton, chair of the White House US Council on Environmental Quality, before the Asia Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate meeting.

"Each country has already begun to identify a portfolio of actions to improve their energy security, reduce pollution and cut greenhouse gases.

"What we are going to do with the partnership is find some alignment of those strategies so we can expand and promote investment in technologies that will help meet those goals."

The United States will point to recent legislation allocating nearly US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) in tax credits for more efficient cars and a $2 billion pledge to advance "clean coal" technology, Connaughton said.

Connaughton also cited China's commitment to reduce sulphur output from coal-fired power plants by 46 per cent as an example of the practical measures being taken to cut pollution.

Washington hopes the Sydney conference will see a flow of information and expertise that will help developing industrial powerhouse nations China and India reduce pollution.

Connaughton said the US expertise in reducing dangerous methane from coal mining could be utilised in China and India.

Besides environment officials from the six nations, about 80 executives from some of the world's biggest energy-consuming companies, including the US aluminium maker Alcoa and South Korea's Posco, the world's fifth-largest steelmaker, will attend.

"The fact that these sectors can come together in a way that they haven't before, is a measure of success alone," he said.

Following the Sydney conference, private industry will be called on to form "task forces" to develop and fund pollution-cutting programmes. "That's where the rubber meets the road, financing for cleaner, more efficient energy," said Connaughton.

"The real dollars we are looking for are the private sector dollars. We're talking tens of billions of dollars if not hundreds of billions of dollars. If we don't get the investment sector we can't succeed."

Environmental groups have complained that they have been excluded from the Sydney climate talks, which will be dominated by coal-producing and importing nations.

Burning coal emits more greenhouse gases than any other fuel. China, the US and India were the top burners of coal in 2004. But Connaughton dismissed the criticism, saying coal remained essential for near-term economic global growth.

"It is a fact that a big portion of the world's economy is based on fossil fuels. We must recognise that fact and work to make those fuels cleaner and make them more efficient."

The US and Australia, which have both refused to sign Kyoto claiming it would threaten economic development, say the Sydney climate pact will complement Kyoto, not subvert it.

"Kyoto doesn't have action strategies. This goes beyond Kyoto because it is about air pollution, about efficiency that will help promote energy security and more diverse energy sources to lift people out of poverty," said Connaughton.

Under Kyoto, developed nations will have to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-12.

Even if fully implemented, Kyoto would brake rising temperatures by just 0.1C by 2100, according to United Nations figures, tiny compared to forecasts by a UN climate panel of an overall rise of 1.4C-5.8C this century.

Answers or smokescreens?

Clean coal

A new generation of processes sharply reduce emissions and other pollutants. The most promising new technology involves using coal to make hydrogen from water, burying the resultant C02 and burning the hydrogen.

Carbon capture

Captures power station C02 emissions and pumps them underground into depleted oil and gas fields. Questions remain on storing C02 underground.

Hydrogen

Fuel cells generate only electricity and water. Expensive and requires large amounts of energy to produce.

Nuclear power

Virtually emission free but produces radioactive waste. The US and others are looking at next-generation fission reactors as well as fusion energy.

Geothermal

Using super-heated steam from deep underground to drive turbines to create electricity. Green but limited to number of appropriate locations.

Hydro, wind and solar

All proven but still more costly than fossil fuels and large dams are much harder to approve these days in many countries because of tougher environmental standards.

- REUTERS