Gov’t urged to speed up release of Kyoto Protocol implementing rules

Proponents of several private sector-led projects aimed at mitigating the production of greenhouse gases say their projects have been left hanging because Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Mike Defensor has yet to sign the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on the Philippines‘ compliance to the United Nations Kyoto Protocol ratified last February 2005.

The Philippines, through the DENR, has until Dec. 31, 2005 to submit an IRR, which spells out its compliance to the United Nation treaty. Otherwise, it loses its chance for the next seven years to seek financial support from first world countries for its clean development mechanisms (CDM) projects and sell its credit certificates (validated by a UN-accredited committee in Bonn, Germany) on actual greenhouse gas reductions to developed countries. The credit certificates are somewhat like stocks certificates that can be traded in the developed countries.

Deliberations on the greenhouse gas reduction treaty began in 1992 at the Rio de Janeiro conference to drum up global support to reduce greenhouse gases worldwide. But first world countries said they could not just shut down industries to comply with this treaty because of the staggering losses to their economies.

Instead, they proposed to fund CDM projects in developing countries to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and buy the Bonn-certified volume of toxic gases reduced as a result of these projects to be credited as their compliance with the treaty.

When the Kyoto Protocol was ratified on Feb.16, 2005, the Philippine government strongly supported it during a summit called for the purpose. But, Defensor has yet to sign the IRR to implement the treaty. It is also necessary for him to endorse the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) under DENR as the National Authority (NA) to endorse CDM projects to developed countries. Without the NA’s endorsement, no developed country member of UN would fund such CDM projects.

The first period of implementation of the Kyoto Protocol is from January 2006 to December 2012, where only accredited countries can undertake CDM projects funded by developed countries and sell such credit certificates of actual greenhouse gas emission reduction to Annex 1 (or first world) countries.

In Asean, only two countries said they would do anything about the Kyoto Protocol, namely Singapore and Myanmar. To date, Jakarta, Bangkok, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos have submitted their NAs and the list of endorsed CDM projects while the Philippines has not done so yet, said Samuel West Stewart, managing director of Philippine Bio-Sciences Co. Inc., which has submitted six ongoing projects for financing under CDM by developed countries but which are pending endorsement by the NA to be designated by Defensor.

Several private groups undertaking environment clean-up projects in the country, like PhilBio, have also submitted project proposals for funding under CDM. But these are all awaiting DENR action.

PhilBio has undertaken covered in-ground anaerobic reactor (CIGAR) projects in commercial piggery farms, which it hopes to further upgrade with better foreign technologies for funding under CDM. Philbio has proposed under CDM its ongoing projects in Paramount Agri in Nueva Ecija; Sentra Everlasting in Tarlac; Unirich in Tarlac; Goldillon in Tarlac; and Red Dragon in Pampanga.

Stewart said PhilBio has 14 operating CIGAR projects in the country and eight still under construction. Philbio wants to get funding under CDM of a communal (cooperative) biogas system in Batangas, which would be its "Model Bio Energy Systems for Rural Development."

Stewart said PhilBio CIGAR projects qualify for CDM because: they reduce greenhouse gases from farms; displace grid-fed electricity; improve the environmental performance of farms in terms of reducing odors, BOD and COD discharges and reduce fire hazard; they provide for sustainable energy since biogas is an indigenous fuel and benefits the economic performance of farmers; and they contribute to the country’s sustainable development objectives.

Projects that can be funded under CDM are fuel switching-energy efficiency (like biogas); renewables; technological projects (like re-injection and scrubbing processes); forestry and land use change; fugitive emission controls in landfill gases, coal mine methane and wastewater treatment.