US Agency Funds Climate change projects in nine nations

Washington, Oct 3 (UNI) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will spend 2 million dollars in nine countries, including India, to fund climate-change projects that enhance the capture and use of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.

The awards -- to projects in China, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Nigeria and Ukraine, besides India -- are funded through the Methane to Markets Partnership, launched by the United States and 13 other countries in 2004.

The most recent member, the European Commission (EC), joined in September and brought the number of partners to 21. Together with more than 600 participating public and private organisations, the partners work on nearly 100 projects and activities around the world.

Methane accounts for 16 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

About 60 per cent of methane emissions come from anthropogenic (people-generated) sources. It is 23 times better than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, and methane concentrations in the atmosphere have more than doubled over 200 years, largely because of human activity.

About 25 per cent of methane emissions and 43 per cent of people-generated emissions come from four sources that Methane to Markets targets -- agriculture (animal-waste management), coal mining, landfills and oil and natural gas systems.

With the grants, EPA is supporting a suite of activities that include training, database development on potential project sites, feasibility studies, technology transfer and project expositions.

Of several projects being funded in India, one will help the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce coordinate activities for advancing Indian methane recovery and use projects in the agriculture and landfill sectors, and another will help the International Institute for Energy Conservation there initiate a nationwide system for recovering methane from manure at animal feeding operations.

UNI