What actions are countries taking on climate change?

Following is the first in a series of Q+As on major climate change themes.
Timothy Gardner Reuters AlertNet 15 Nov 10;

Nov 15 (Reuters) - The two big countries most opposed to adopting policies that would quickly cut greenhouse gas emissions also happen to be the world's largest producers of coal, the fuel that emits the most carbon dioxide.

China, the world's top greenhouse gas polluter and the biggest coal producer, wants the world to give it a chance to fully industrialize, just as the United States and Europe have, before it starts cutting emissions. [ID:nSGE6940EP]

The United States, the No. 2 emitter and coal producer, has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions only about 4 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. That's far less than the 20 percent cut by 2020 from 1990 that the 27 countries in the European Union have pledged.

Here are key questions about the climate policies in the world's biggest polluters starting with the strongest efforts.

HOW IS THE E.U. DOING?

Most countries in the European Union have moderate to small amounts of coal and oil.

That combined with domestic taxes on motor fuels have driven energy efficiency in countries there since before the EU was formed. In addition, unreliable imports of natural gas from Russia has also helped push many EU countries to look toward renewables, such as wind and solar power.

In 2005, the EU was the first place to adopt carbon markets The cap and trade market is mandatory for its 27 members and ramps up into a tougher third phase from 2013.

In addition, the EU has a goal of cutting emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. Environment ministers from Britain, France, and Sweden have said this year they would support deepening the cut to 30 percent, though businesses have balked at that.

The EU also has a plan to make 20 percent of all energy alternative by 2020. All these efforts make the EU the world's leading emissions fighter. Still, no region is yet on track for making the kind of cuts scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change such as droughts, heat waves and floods.

HOW ARE CHINA AND OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES TAKING ACTION? China is not ready to start cutting emissions. Instead, it has pledged to cut carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of economic output, by 40-45 percent by 2020 compared to 2005.

China has also embarked on a program to increase output of renewables like wind and solar power. It wants 15 percent of energy to be renewable by 2020, from less than 9 percent in 2009. It is also exploring market-based mechanisms such as emissions trading for specific sectors or regions to meet its CO2 targets.

India, which emits far less per-capita than either China or the United States, set a goal last year of slowing its carbon intensity by between 20 and 25 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels.

It is also a large coal producer.

Japan, which never had big supplies of fossil fuels, has long been a leader in nuclear power, which emits practically no greenhouse gases. It has a target of cutting emissions 25 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, if other major emitters follow suit. Tokyo has a cap-and-trade emissions market and a country-wide plan could start in 2013 if the laws are passed by parliament.

Australia, which shelved emissions trading laws earlier this year after fierce political opposition, has created a panel to recommend the best way to price carbon emissions. Neighbouring New Zealand has the only national CO2 trading scheme outside Europe but a price cap on tradeable pollution units, limited supply and soft transition measures mean trading is thin.

HOW IS THE U.S. DOING ON CLIMATE AFTER THE ELECTIONS?

President Barack Obama admitted after the elections in November, in which Republicans won control of the House of Representatives, he will not have the votes to pass national cap-and-trade market this year, next year or the year after that.

Still, his administration has said it would stick with a pledge to cut emissions 17 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels -- equal to a cut of about 4 percent from 1990.

SO THAT MEANS THE U.S. WILL DO VERY LITTLE?

Not exactly. Obama's administration has taken several steps on transport to curb CO2 pollution and move toward alternative fuels.

Turning to electricity, Congress could pass national mandates for utilities to generate minimum amounts of renewable power, perhaps next year. A bill backed by a Democrat has some Republican support, but it probably needs to recognize nuclear power as clean electricity in order to pass.

WILL STATES FILL SOME OF THE GAPS IN THE U.S.?

That is likely. In fact the elections gave a big boost to California's carbon market and alternative energy as voters upheld a 2006 clean energy law.

It will create a cap-and-trade market in California, the world's eighth largest economy, by 2012. In addition, several Western states and Canadian provinces could join a regional emissions market, led by California.

In the East Coast the country's only mandatory cap-and-trade market, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, has been underway for two years. (Editing by Ed Lane)