12/01/2006 - The inaugural meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership
on Clean Development and Climate was held in Sydney on 11
and 12 January 2006.
The historic meeting involving Ministers and business representatives
from the six founding members Australia, China, India, Japan,
Republic of Korea and United States, agreed on a ground-breaking
new model for international climate change and energy collaboration.
The outcomes of the Partnership's inaugural meeting have
redefined the way climate change, energy security and air
pollution will be addressed in order to encourage economic
growth and development.
The Asia-Pacific Partners are large, fast growing economies
that represent around half the world's emissions, energy
use, GDP and population. The Partnership complements other
global climate change initiatives.
In his opening address to the inaugural Asia-Pacific Partnership
Ministerial meeting, the Prime Minister noted that Partnership
countries have invested many billions of dollars to address
climate change. Australia alone has invested $1.8 billion
already in addressing climate change, including $500 million
for low emissions technologies and over $200 million for
renewable energy initiatives.
The Prime Minister announced that on top of this commitment
the Australian Government will invest a further $100 million
over five years to deliver practical outcomes by supporting
Australia's involvement in clean development projects, capacity
building activities and our on-going role in the Partnership.
In recognition of the significant commitment to the development
of renewable resources announced in Australia's 2004 Energy
Statement, 25 per cent of the further $100 million investment
will be specifically earmarked for renewable projects.
The six-country Asia-Pacific Partnership recognises that
technology collaboration, long term commitments and significant
investments are needed to tackle the sustainable generation
and use of energy. Acceleration of technology, especially
low emissions technology, collaboration between governments,
business and research organisations to foster innovation
and to implement practical, achievable, economically sustainable
solutions to climate change are essential to a sustainable
solution to climate change.
A distinctive feature of the Partnership is the unprecedented
way business, government and researchers will work together
to achieve the Partnership's objectives.
Energy and environment ministers from the six countries
met with over 120 senior business representatives from the
electricity, mining, aluminium, cement, steel, finance and
renewable sectors.
This is the first time that industry has been afforded such
an opportunity in global climate change discussions. The
outcomes were unique and included:
• a recognition that clean development and lower greenhouse
gas emissions requires economic growth as it is growth and
investment that will deliver the new technologies to reduce
emissions;
• agreement that governments and business must work together
to achieve sustained economic growth and lower greenhouse
gas emissions; and
• a public commitment to real actions.
The Asia-Pacific Partnership established eight government
and business taskforces on (1) cleaner fossil energy; (2)
renewable energy and distributed generation; (3) power generation
and transmission; (4) steel; (5) aluminium; (6) cement;
(7) coal mining; and (8) buildings and appliances.
Work under the Partnership will commence immediately with
the meeting of the Policy and Implementation Committee and
business representatives on Friday to discuss the work of
the taskforces and set deliverable milestones.
Australia will lead the taskforce on cleaner fossil energy.
It is a reality that fossil fuels will remain the dominant
source of the world's energy needs for the next century.
Clean technologies will therefore be a critical part to
the overall solution to our climate change problems.
Australia will also chair the aluminium taskforce, co-chair
the renewable energy and distributed generation taskforce
and play a leading role in the buildings and appliances
taskforce.
Asia-Pacific Partnership Ministers today agreed and released
a:
• Charter that provides the framework and structure of the
Partnership
• Communiqué that highlights key outcomes from this
meeting
• Work Plan that maps out an intensive agenda of work for
the taskforces in the near-term.
Asia-Pacific Partnership Ministers agreed to meet again
in 2007.
Copies of the Asia-Pacific documents released today can
be obtained from www.dfat.gov.au.
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