the best friend the nuclear power industry has ever had ?
|
Climate change the best friend the nuclear power industry has ever had ? |
|
Last updated: September 12, 2001
An article in the industry's magazine Nucleonics Week (Vol. 42 No. 31, 2 August 2001) 'Nuclear could be back in Kyoto via domestic loophole.' suggests that the Bonn Agreement doesn't exclude nuclear really. They claim there's two potential loopholes. Says Ben Pearson of Greenpeace International: 'One is just wrong, the other is pretty improbable!'
Here is why.
Nucleonics Week: "individual non-Annex I countries could build nuclear reactors on their own territories, earn credits for avoiding carbon emissions, and then sell these credits to other countries- especially if the credits in the hands of third parties were deemed fungible".
Ben Pearson: No. They cannot sell these credits to another country, because the language commits the only "buyers" in the market (Annex I) not to purchase them. Carbon credits only have value if they can be sold to an Annex I country, because they are the only countries that have emission reduction commitments. The language on nuclear commits Annex I not to use credits from nuclear projects to meet this commitment, making nuclear credits worthless. This alleged loophole would be equivalent to a scenario where a country manufactures a product that potential customer countries are forbidden to buy.
Can the credits be laundered through a third party? No, the projects have to be registered and the credits have serial numbers, i.e they are traceable.
Nucleonics Week: "The non-Annex I countries could also save up the credits and use them to meet reduction goals which may be imposed for the period after 2012."
Ben Pearson: Developing countries are fighting against the imposition of reduction commitments so while this may be technically possible, it is highly unlikely. Further, if they were to make such a deal now with an Annex I nuclear vendor it could be seen as tacit acceptance of them taking on a reduction commitment in the second period (post-2012), something they are not going to want to do.
The full text of the Bonn Agreement is available at: www.unfccc.int/resource/docs/cop6secpart/l07.pdf
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |