Climate Action 2009-2010

TECHNOLOGY
of commercial-scale electricity generation from ocean
energy. But much more funding than this is required.
The industry also needs adequate feed-in tariffs in its
early stages of development. Our calculations show
that with adequate feed-in tariffs and a period of
support similar to that which the wind industry enjoyed
in Europe, ocean energy could start to approach gridparity
by the early 2020s. For this to happen it is also
imperative that help is given to the offshore renewable
industry in improving connection from the offshore areas
to the electricity grids.
FORESTRY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Deforestation and forest degradation are one of the
two most significant contributors to greenhouse gas
emissions. Initiatives aimed at reducing emissions from
deforestation and forest degradation (so-called REDD)
have therefore been at the centre of much discussion
surrounding climate change since the 2007 Bali meeting
and before.
Several countries, such as Malaysia, Pakistan, Ghana,
Nigeria and Uganda have lost significant forest cover in
the past. REDD initiatives aim to reverse this trend by
helping countries preserve tropical forests and generate
forest carbon offsets with the potential to include them
in global carbon markets. Essentially at its core REDD
would aim to guarantee that countries that possess
forests receive money for preserving these forests
instead of converting them to other land uses.
How REDD works and its benefits
REDD mechanisms could allow countries to offset carbon
credits against their emissions targets. There are other
benefits, such as rural development, the prevention of
biodiversity loss, opportunities for sustainable forest
management and eco-tourism. In addition, rather
than clearing forests for palm oil plantations, forest
waste could be used to produce second-generation
biofuels that rely on organic waste. Today, carbon
credits from REDD projects can only be traded and sold
in the voluntary carbon market. Policy-makers need
to urgently resolve the issue of whether REDD credits
should enjoy official value in the 2012 post-Kyoto regime.
REDD is a relatively low-cost option as it does not involve
cost-intensive technologies. Also, the carbon mitigation
benefits of REDD exceed in the long term the benefits
from afforestation and reforestation.
Obstacles to the implementation of REDD
Ongoing REDD projects have shown that technological
solutions are readily available to implement REDD.
The major obstacles to conservation of tropical
forests are social and governance failures. Further, a
number of issues must be addressed. These include:
establishing baselines (in order to understand the level
of deforestation and forest degradation); verification of
carbon credits (today, there are only a few independent
certification agencies); acknowledging the rights of
indigenous people and forest-dependent communities
(successful REDD project implementation depends on
the inclusion of indigenous and local communities who
depend on forests for their livelihoods).
REDD could achieve two important objectives: increasing
the present stock of biomass, as well as avoiding
emissions of carbon. Early resolution of these issues
should therefore be a high priority for policy-makers.
Developed country members are well placed to provide
both the financial assistance and technical expertise
required by less developed Parties to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change to implement REDD.
FROM INNOVATION TO ACTION
Solutions to the energy problem and climate change
mitigation already exist. The solutions highlighted above
– nanotechnology, ocean energy and forestry – have had
very limited environmental effects to date. The main
obstacles to their commercialisation are clear market
signals and regulatory frameworks, issues that must be
addressed at the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen.
Here, the governments leadership in those areas can
play a significant role in innovation in responding to
climate change.
Authors
Dr Miguel Esteban is a coastal engineer and JCOE
Research Fellow, Kyoto University, Japan. He obtained
his PhD from Yokohama National University and joined
UN University’s Institute of Advanced Studies in 2007
as a postdoctoral fellow specialising in the impact of
climate change and natural disasters, and renewable
energy sources. Currently he is a postdoctoral fellow
at the department of energy of Kyoto University.
Dr Christian Webersik is a political scientist and
Associate Professor, Centre for Development
Studies, University of Agder, Norway. Before joining
the Centre, Webersik was a postdoctoral fellow at
the UN University’s Institute of Advanced Studies and
Columbia University. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford
University. He has worked for the UN Climate Change
Secretariat and the UN Development Programme.
Dr David Leary is a lawyer and Senior Research Fellow
at the University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia.
Before completing his PhD he practiced as a solicitor
in Australia, including a number of years as in-house
counsel for a multinational corporation.
The authors have drawn on the works of many other
scholars and policy-makers. Full references to these
sources are set out in their original report ‘Innovation
in Responding to Climate Change: Nanotechnology,
Ocean Energy and Forestry’, available online at www.
ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=111&ddlID=738
Enquiries
Kyoto University, Energy Engineering Department,
Sakyo-ku, Yoshida Honmachi, Kobakubu-1-Gokan,
353-goshitsu, Kyoto T606-8501, Japan
Tel/fax: +81 75 753 4750
Email: esteban@energy.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Centre for Development Studies, University of
Agder, Gimlemoen 17, Servicebox 422, 4604
Kristiansand, Norway
Tel: +47 3814 1853 | Fax: +47 3814 1028
Email: christian.webersik@sant.oxon.org
Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales,
UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Tel: +61 9385 9552 | Fax: +61 9385 1775
Email: dleary@unsw.edu.au
NANOTECHNOLOGY 115
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