APP to address energy security with nations

New Delhi, Aug 22: The results-oriented partnership in the Asia Pacific region on clean development is a great opportunity to develop and accelerate deployment of cleaner and more efficient technologies, the White House Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality James L Connaughton said here today.

Speaking at a meeting organised by Industry body Ficci on 'Private Sector Engagement in Asia Pacific Partnership (APP) on Clean Development and Climate and Methane-to-Markets (M2M) Partnership', Mr Connaughton said this will also meet national pollution reduction, energy security and climate change concerns in ways that reduce poverty and promote economic development.

He said the multilateral funding agencies like the World Bank, US Exim Bank, IFC, and ADB were keenly interested in the priorities that the APP lays down so that low-cost financing could be arranged for clean development projects.

The APP on Clean Development and Climate is a multilateral partnership which was launched in July 2005 among China, Korea, Australia, Japan, the US and India. It aims to focus on voluntary practical measures taken by these six countries to create new investment opportunities, build local capacity and remove barriers to the introduction of clean, more efficient technologies.

The APP will help each country meet nationally designed strategies for improving energy security, reducing pollution and addressing the long-term challenge of climate change.

Ministry of Environment and Forests Secretary Dr Prodipto Ghosh described today's meeting as the first major event organised by Indian industry. Coal, he said, would continue to the mainstay for meeting the requirements of India's energy and therefore clean technologies for bringing down emissions was high priority.

The meeting was also addressed by US State Department Senior Climate Change Negotiator and Special Representative Dr Harlan L Watson, and US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Geoffrey R Pyatt.

UNI