Asian and Pacific Nations Clean Energy Pact

Asian and Pacific Nations Clean Energy Pact





    
 
January 2007  - Government 
leaders from across Asia and the Pacific have agreed to reduce 
their dependence on fossil fuels and promote cleaner 
technologies that address air pollution and greenhouse gas 
emissions. 
The energy pact signed by the leaders of the 10 member 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, and its 
dialogue partners calls for a concerted regionwide effort to 
harness alternative sources of energy to ensure continuous 
energy supply for their growing economies in the face of 
dwindling world oil reserves. 
The Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security was signed 
after a summit last week in the central Philippine city of 
Cebu during which the leaders pledged to fight terrorism and 
disease, eradicate poverty, strengthen political solidarity, 
and create a free trade zone by 2015. 
ASEAN's members are the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, 
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and 
Vietnam. They signed the declaration together with the leaders 
of Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New 
Zealand. 
ASEAN leaders in Cebu from left - Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah 
of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen of 
Cambodia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, 
Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos, Dato Seri Abdullah 
Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, President Gloria 
Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, Prime Minister Lee Hsien 
Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Lt. Gen Soe Win of Myanmar, 
Thai Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont and Prime Minister 
Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam. (Photo courtesy ASEAN) 
The government leaders cited the need to strengthen programs 
to develop renewable energy sources such as biofuels and 
hydropower sources since "these resources are important 
aspects of our national energy policies." 
The leaders agreed to work closely together to improve the 
efficiency and environmental performance of fossil fuel use. 
They will encourage the use of biofuels and "work towards 
freer trade on biofuels and a standard on biofuels used in 
engines and motor vehicles." 
They pledged to reduce dependence on conventional fuels 
through intensified energy efficiency and conservation 
programmes, hydropower, expansion of renewable energy systems 
and biofuel production/utilization, and for interested 
parties, civilian nuclear power. 
The leaders said they would mitigate greenhouse gas emission 
through effective policies and measures, thus contributing to 
global climate change abatement. 
The entire effort will be market-based. The leaders declared 
they would pursue and encourage investment on energy resource 
and infrastructure development through greater private sector 
involvement, and encourage the "open and competitive regional 
and international markets geared towards providing affordable 
energy at all economic levels." 
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo today directed the 
Department of Energy to "dovetail all our pertinent programs 
with the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security so 
that we can participate actively in pursuing the common ends 
defined by the leaders." 
Evening rush hour in Metro Manila (Photo courtesy Wikipedia) 
President Arroyo also today signed into law the Biofuels Act 
of 2006 which seeks to reduce dependence on imported fuels. 
The act mandates that within two years, all liquid fuels for 
motors and engines sold in the Philippines shall contain at 
least five percent locally sourced bioethanol. 
Ford Group Philippines Chairman Henry Co expressed full 
support for the mandatory use of biofuel by oil companies 
based in the Philippines. "We have a lot of resources to 
support ethanol production," Co said. 
Clean coal will be an important part of the energy picture, 
under the Cebu Declaration, and especially for coal producing 
nations Australia and China. 
In Cebu, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Chinese 
Premier Wen Jiabao formally established the Australia-China 
Joint Coordination Group on Clean Coal Technology. 
Shentou-2 coal-fired power plant in Shanxi, China. (Photo 
courtesy Skoda Export) 
The Group will include representatives from government, the 
scientific community and from industry. The two countries will 
share knowledge gained through clean coal projects, implement 
joint clean coal technology projects, and projects on using 
coal mine methane as a clean energy source. 
"Premier Wen and I have agreed that this is a significant and 
important initiative for Australia and for China," said Prime 
Minister Howard. "We have discussed potential members of the 
group and I look forward to announcing the agreed members in 
due course. We expect the first meeting of the Australia-China 
Joint Coordination Group on Clean Coal Technology to be in 
early April." 
The two countries also cooperate closely in the technology 
focused Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, the Methane to 
Markets Partnership, and the APEC Energy Working Group.