This week the Scoop, an independent New Zealand news source, reported on a multinational partnership, funded in large part by the United States, aimed to employ environmentally and economically friendly methods to address the global climate changes in both developed and developing nations-more specifically in the newly established Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP). According to the press release, the United States will be funding “results oriented” programs in China and India to help curb greenhouse emissions. Projects backed by the APP are already showing results in these developing nations. For example, publicly funded transportation systems are beginning to implement hybrid vehicles, powerplants in India are trying more energy efficient methods of providing power, and China is looking into compact fluorescent lamps.
What does this mean for the global climate crisis? It is positive news to see our own government initiating a program aimed at fighting global warming in other countries, especially India and China, but the amount of money in the budget for the APP for FY 2008 is approximately $70 million, which on a global scale, doesn’t amount too much. But, one could argue that $70 million is better than half that amount. The good news for the United States is that investments driven by our economy means the renewable energy industry in this country will have new and larger foreign markets. If only our national government was taking these sort of strides right here in our own country...
The original article can be found at: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0809/S00430.htm
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