"The NAP, in its first phase, has not achieved the goal of encouraging the reduction of emissions"
Interview with Cecilia Foronda, responsible of the Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo, CeroCO2
November 15, 2008
CeroCO2 is a joint initiative of the ecology and Development Foundation and Fundación Natura, which aims to raise awareness in society about the need for immediate action against the warming of the planet, offering tools to calculate, reduce and offset CO2 emissions. Institutions associated with the Foundation, which has been funded by the Ministry of the environment for the development of some of its activities include the Junta de Andalucía, the municipalities of Zaragoza and Barcelona, the Government of Cantabria and the environmental resources of Navarre Centre. We spoke to responsible for CeroCO2 project on the situation of emissions of gases greenhouse.
What is your opinion on the effectiveness of the Covenants of the national plan of allocation of emissions and the Kyoto II? What would you change?
The Kyoto Protocol was a minimal agreement, but has been a spearhead in the fight against climate change. The arduous negotiations that preceded the signing of the Protocol shows the difficulty to achieve global commitments. Made as United States, whose GHG emissions account for 22% of the total and has the largest reserves of coal, has not ratified yet, that Australia, the largest exporter of carbon show, reticence and that emerging countries with an economy based on fossil fuels have been outside the agreement cast doubt on the effectiveness of the agreement.
Post-Kyoto debates have already been launched and the solutions to save the shortcomings of the previous agreement go through in developing Brazil, China and South Africa countries to set a ceiling for their broadcasts, that industrialized countries bet decisively for the r & d on technologies for mitigation and that these may be transferred in a manner efficiently to emerging countries. The challenge of the new agreement is to achieve a decoupled economic growth from increasing the concentration of GHG in the atmosphere.
As for the National Plan for the allocation of rights that arose for joint European trading of emissions in Spain and enable compliance with ratified Spanish commitment to Kyoto, in its first phase no has achieved the goal of encourage emissions reductions that the distribution of rights exceeded the needs of the industries so low carbon prices have made the purchase of rights to be more cost-effective than investment in cleaner production technologies. The second phase of the National Plan of allocation 2008-2012 has already been approved and tries to correct these errors.
Foronda Cecilia.
Let's return to the matter and seek the solution at the source of the problem: what developments can carry out the chemical sector to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases?
The companies in the chemical sector are most intensive in the consumption of fossil fuels because most processes require large amounts of energy. The solution to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases through a change of technologies that achieve greater energy efficiency of processes and allow the use of renewable energy.
For better or for worse, the atmosphere is "one piece", so that the actions must be taken on a global scale, but what is the role of developing countries? and what is the level of emissions of these countries?
The contribution of the countries in developing climate change is not comparable to that of the industrialized countries. For example, while emissions per capita of a Chinese or a Chilean 3.5 tCO are
2year a Spanish are almost 3 times higher (9.59 tCO
2year) and an almost 6 American times.
Although these figures make clear that the responsibility for climate change it is in industrialized countries, the spectacular growth of economies emerging as the Chinese do that these countries are starting to play a decisive role in the fight against global warming.
"The solution of the chemical industry to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases through a change of technologies that achieve greater energy efficiency of processes and allow the use of renewable energy"
In line with the previous question, what right have developed countries to urge those countries that, although we did it, they do not exploit the fossil energy sources and they stop their expectations of well-being (understanding well-being from the parameters that the West them has been entendiendo… until now)?
Indeed, it would be very unfair. Precisely in order to tackle this problem the Kyoto Protocol established the clean development mechanism. As its name suggests these mechanisms they are intended to the industrialized countries to transfer resources to developing countries to facilitate the replacement of fossil fuels by clean technologies. Without this additional financing change would not be possible and developing countries would use the cheapest source at your fingertips: fossil fuels.
Clean development mechanisms allow countries with reduction commitments to fulfil a part of the same offsetting its emissions through the purchase of carbon reductions generated by projects of renewable energy, energy efficiency, treatment of waste and reforestation and/or deforestation avoided in developing countries. These projects not only contribute to the mitigation of climate change, but that contribute to improving the living conditions of the communities where they develop to give them new economic activities.
Change third and now take the point of view of the consumer. Do believe that both "green washing" and the continuous bombardment of advertising "echo", the consumer is insensibilizando?
While it is true that sometimes the green advertising can be so overwhelming that generates mistrust or misleading, it is true that consumers are increasingly sensitized to the problem and require companies to have a more respectful behaviour with the environment. To help consumers discern between wheat and straw initiatives are necessary to seriously evaluate environmental policies of the companies and proportions objective information to the consumer beyond advertising.
In the image, detail of a Mediatrix wall isolated with Rockwool rock wool.
How do you think that it will affect the current economic crisis to the environmental sensitivity both Governments and enterprises, and also in the consumer? Do you think that the matter will go to the background?
No doubt when the economy deteriorates the reflex Act is that environment becomes a background both for Governments and for companies and individuals. However, for example in the case of the fight against climate change do not act now future costs could be much higher. The Stern report states that an investment equal to 1 percent of global GDP is required to mitigate the effects of climate change and would that not make such investment worldwide is expose to a recession that could reach 20 per cent of global GDP.
Would like to go closing this interview, and the proximity of the presidential elections in the United States (*), to know his opinion about the impact that they will have the election results on the air that we breathe, depending on who he wins the election, according to the environmental policies that both candidates announced in their programmes.
Both McCain and Obama have left the denial of Bush to climate change and in their programmes are committed to take measures to combat global warming. However, the programme of Obama picks up stronger environmental proposals, in particular in the field of climate change, advocates a system of sale of rights issue whose collection would be allocated to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
What, from his point of view, the role that should represent the chemical industry to the environmental challenges facing humanity?
Climate change is a global problem requiring global solutions involving all sectors of society and to all countries. The model of development based on fossil fuels is unsustainable so a paradigm shift is necessary to achieve a low carbon economy. The chemical industry, by its representativeness and weight in the economy, can act as a driving force for change being an example in the adoption of measures to manage their emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to compliance with the reduction commitments made by the Spanish Government.
Likewise the presence of the chemical industry in developing countries, where the consequences of climate change are live with greater intensity due to its geographical location and fewer resources to address them, has to act as a driving force for measures to enable the transfer of resources and technology to contribute to the mitigation and adaptation climate change in these countries. This is, on the one hand in the improvement of living conditions in these countries and on the other hand, in the minimization of the risks posed by climate change to investments in the chemical sector in these countries.
(*) The interview was conducted a few days before November 4, when the electoral outcome of American presidential was still unknown.
