Yesterday at the Copenhagen climate conference, U.S Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of a program to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries; an initiative that Australia will also be financially contributing to.
The new initiatives, part of Climate REDI (Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative) will speed up deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technology in developing nations.
One aspect is the Solar and LED Energy Access Program that will accelerate deployment of affordable home solar power systems and LED lanterns to people who do not have access to mains electricity. The program will provide households with low-cost and quality-assured solar alternatives to expensive and polluting kerosene.
The combined budget for the Climate REDI programs is $350 million over five years. Funding for three of the initiatives, including the Solar and LED Energy Access Program, will total USD $100 million. The United States intends to contribute $35 million, with the balance from Italy, Australia and other partners.
Also yesterday at Copenhagen was the announcement of ten Technology Action Plans developed under the Global Partnership. Australia will be one the lead countries involved with the Carbon capture, use and storage plan.
While Australia has put its hand up to take an active role in assisting developing countries, it has by no means been the darling of negotiations. Developing nations staged a two-hour walkout talks yesterday, accusing countries including Australia of attempting to “kill the Kyoto Protocol“.
Australia has also been accused of “cooking the carbon books” after it was revealed while counting carbon sequestered by through modified farming and forestry strategies, it did not include high emissions aspects like bushfires (increasing due to climate change) and clearfell logging.
