At risk from rising seas, Tuvalu seeks clean power

Alister Doyle, Reuters 19 Jul 09;

OSLO (Reuters) - The Pacific island state of Tuvalu set a goal Sunday of a 100 percent shift to renewable energy by 2020, hoping to set an example to industrialized nations to cut greenhouse gases it blames for rising sea levels.

Tuvalu, a string of coral atolls whose highest point is 4.5 meters (15 ft) above sea level, estimates it would cost just over $20 million to generate all electricity for its 12,000 people from solar and wind power and end dependence on diesel.

"We look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all -- powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind," Kausea Natano, minister for public utilities and industries, said in setting the 2020 target.

Tuvalu and many other low-lying atolls in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean fear that rising sea levels could wipe them off the map. They want governments to agree a strong new U.N. deal in Copenhagen in December to slow climate change.

Natano said in a statement that Tuvalu's own efforts to curb the islanders' tiny greenhouse gas emissions "will strengthen our voice" in the negotiations.

A first $410,000 solar system on the roof of the main soccer stadium in the capital, Funafuti, has been generating 5 percent of electricity for the town since it was installed in late 2008.

The installation was led by Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co. backed by Tokyo Electric Power Co. Both are members of the e8, an international non-profit organization of 10 utilities from the Group of Eight industrialized countries.

SOLAR-POWERED SCHOOL

G8 leaders at a July 8-10 summit in Italy promised to help the poor cope with climate change, but have not yet said how much cash or technology they will provide.

"We are hoping to secure assistance from our traditional donor partners and any other funding assistance to achieve (the) ultimate goal" of 100 percent renewable power, Natano said.

Tuvalu says that "king tides" whipped up by more powerful cyclones are already bringing salt water onto crops.

Sea levels rose 17 cm (6 inches) in the 20th century and the U.N. Climate Panel estimated in 2007 they could rise by another 18-59 cm by 2100, and perhaps even more if a thaw of Greenland or Antarctica accelerates.

Tuvalu, a group of atolls covering 26 sq km, aims to expand the e8 project from 40 to 60 kilowatts and extend solar power to outer islands, starting this year with an $800,000 solar power system for a school in Vaitupu funded by the Italian government.

"The plight of Tuvalu versus the rising tide vividly represents the worst early consequence of climate change," said Takao Shiraishi, general manager of Kansai Electric Power Co.

The islands, halfway between Australia and Hawaii, would keep generators as back-up sources of power. Tuvalu's average fuel consumption is 5,000 liters of imported diesel per day.

Tuvalu's annual emissions of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from burning fossil fuels, are just 0.4 ton per inhabitant against more than 20 per American.

Island will only use green power
Michael Casey, AP The Independent 21 Jul 09;

The tiny island nation of Tuvalu, already under threat from rising seas caused by global warming, has vowed to do its part for climate change by fueling its economy entirely from renewable sources by 2020.

The South Pacific nation of 12,000 people is part of a movement of countries and cities committed to going climate neutral. Since February 2008, 10 nations including New Zealand, Pakistan, Iceland and Costa Rica have vowed to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases as part of a goal of reaching zero emissions in the next decade.

None of these commitments alone is expected to make a significant difference in the fight to cut heat-trapping gases. But the United Nations and many environmentalists say the moves can inspire bigger emitters like the United States and China to take bolder steps to limit their carbon footprints.

"In a sense, they are paving the way for medium and larger economies which have to move if we are going combat climate change," said Nick Nuttal, spokesman for the United Nations Environment Programme. It sponsors the Climate Neutral Network, a group of 100 governments, nongovernment groups and companies looking to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. "These smaller economies are out to prove you can do it, and do it faster than some people previously thought."

Major polluters at the Group of Eight nations' summit earlier this month failed to agree on commitments to reduce carbon emissions. That indicates how difficult it will be to craft a new climate treaty later this year in Copenhagen, Denmark, one that would be a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Climate scientists have urged rich countries to reduce emissions from 2005 levels by between 25 percent and 40 percent by 2020 to avoid the worst effects of warming, which they say will lead to widespread drought, floods, higher sea levels and worsening storms.

For its part, Tuvalu hopes to replace the fossil fuels that it imports by ship with solar energy and wind power, a project that it expects will cost $20 million.

Tuvalu already releases almost no greenhouse gases. But because of climate change, many South Pacific islands see worsening flooding amid predictions of a large sea level rise this century.

The country is just 10 square miles in size, with most of its land less than a metere above sea level.

So far, Tuvalu has installed a 40 kilowatt solar energy system with the help of Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co. and Tokyo Electric Power Company, both members of the e8, an international nonprofit organization of 10 leading power utilities from G8 countries.

"There may be other, larger solar power installations in the world, but none could be more meaningful to customers than this one," Takao Shiraishi, general manager of the Kansai Electric Power Co., said in a statement Sunday.

"The plight of Tuvalu versus the rising tide vividly represents the worst early consequence of climate change," he added. "For Tuvalu, after 3,000 years of history, the success of UN climate talks in Copenhagen this December may well be a matter of national survival."

The Tuvalu government is working to expand the initial $410,000 project from 40 to 60 kilowatts, and will extend solar power to outer islands, starting later this year with the commission of a $800,000, 46 kilowatt solar power system for a secondary school. The Italian government is supporting the project.

"We thank those who are helping Tuvalu reduce its carbon footprint as it will strengthen our voice in those international negotiations," Public Utilities and Industries Minister Kausea Natano said in a statement. "And we look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all — powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind."

Tuvalu vows to go carbon neutral
BBC 20 Jul 09;

The tiny Pacific island state of Tuvalu has said it wants all its energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.

Public Utilities Minister Kausea Natano said his nation of 12,000 people wanted to set an example to others.

Tuvalu is made up of a string of atolls with the highest point only 4.5m (15 ft) above sea level, making it extremely vulnerable to flooding.

The government hopes to use wind and solar power to generate electricity, instead of imported diesel.

"We look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all - powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind," Kausea Natano said.

Inspiring others

Tuvalu and many other low-lying atolls in the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean fear that global warning could lead to sea level rises that could literally wipe them off the map.

Other nations - including Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Costa Rica - have also vowed to become carbon neutral, reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases to zero.

Most of these countries have relatively small populations, and their pledges are unlikely to make a significant difference in the overall battle against global warming.

But many environmentalists say their stance is nevertheless important, as they provide a lead for other countries to follow.

"In a sense, they are paving the way for medium and larger economies which have to move if we are going combat climate change," Nick Nuttall, spokesman for the United Nations Environment Programme, told the French news agency AFP.

Tuvalu estimates it would will cost about $20m to generate all its electricity by using renewables. It has already begun the process by installing a $410,000 solar system on the roof of the main soccer stadium in the capital, Funafuti.

OTHER NATIONS COMMITTED TO CARBON NEUTRALITY
# Costa Rica
# Ethiopia
# Iceland
# Maldives
# Monaco
# New Zealand
# Niue
# Norway
# Pakistan
# Portugal Source: UN Environment Programme

Tuvalu plots world's first zero carbon output by 2020
The tiny South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could become the first zero-carbon country after vowing to abandon fossil fuels and generate all of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Bonnie Malkin, The Telegraph 21 Jul 09;

At threat from rising sea levels caused by global warming, the low-lying nation plans to swap imported "dirty fuel" for wind and solar power.

With no heavy industry, almost no natural resources and very low existing greenhouse gas emissions, Tuvalu could become the first country in the world to realise the zero-carbon dream.

Lying halfway between Australia and Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific, the government has been forced to act because the nation stands to lose so much from climate change.

Home to a population of 12,000 people, Tuvalu is the fourth-smallest country in the world, measuring just 10 square miles in size. Most of its population are either fishermen or farmers, relying on the land and sea for income and food.

However, the island chain is very low-lying, with most of the country less than three feet above sea level, and the nation's highest point standing at just 15 feet. Worsening flooding in recent years has reminded the administration that Tuvalu faces becoming uninhabitable if predictions of a large sea-level rise this century come true.

In response, a 40 kilowatt solar energy system has been installed on the roof of the country's largest football stadium. The panels now supply five per cent of the electricity needed by the capital, Funafuti and in their first 14 months reduced Tuvalu's consumption of generator fuel shipped from New Zealand by about 17,000 litres.

The project was set up by the e8, an international nonprofit organisation of 10 leading power utilities from G8 countries, and funded by two Japanese power firms.

The Tuvalu government is now working to expand the initial project, and wants to take solar power to the outer islands, starting later this year with the commission of a $800,000 (£480,000), 46 kilowatt solar power system for a secondary school. In all the project is expected to cost the state, which relies on foreign aid as its main source of income, an estimated $20 million.

"We thank those who are helping Tuvalu reduce its carbon footprint as it will strengthen our voice in those international negotiations," said Kausea Natano, the island's public utilities and industries minister. "And we look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind."

Tuvalu is among a cluster of countries, including the Maldives, that aim to reduce their emissions to zero over the next decade.

While its effort alone is not expected to make a significant difference in the fight to cut the volume of heat-trapping gases emitted across the globe, the United Nations and many environmentalists have said the move could inspire larger emitters like the United States and China to take bolder steps to limit their carbon footprints.

"In a sense, they are paving the way for medium and larger economies which have to move if we are going combat climate change," said Nick Nuttal, spokesman for the United Nations Environment Programme. "These smaller economies are out to prove you can do it, and do it faster than some people previously thought."

Tuvalu by numbers:

Population: 12,373

Size: 10 square miles

Relative size: 4th smallest country in the world

Population density: 1,142 people per square mile

Highest point: 15 feet above sea level

GDP: $14.94 million (£9 million)

Number of islands: 4

Number of atolls: 5

Capital: Funafuti

History: former British protectorate and now Commonwealth member