Japan, U.S. agree to set up clean tech fund to fight global warming

Saturday 24th May, 04:37 PM JST

KOBE —

Japan and the United States agreed Saturday to set up a multilateral ‘‘clean technology fund’’ to spark the development of technology aimed at combating global warming, a Japanese official said.

Stephen Johnson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was quoted as telling Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita during a meeting in Kobe that Washington wants Japan to consider establishing a global fund because the research involves a considerable amount of money.

Kamoshita responded by saying, ‘‘Let’s call for the participation of each Group of Eight country and make it a big fund,’’ according to the official.

Kamoshita indicated that Japan, which holds this year’s G-8 presidency, will promote discussions on the proposed fund during July’s G-8 summit in Hokkaido, where policy coordination to address climate change will top the agenda.

In a separate meeting, Kamoshita and British Secretary for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Hilary Benn agreed that they will cooperate in drawing up a global guideline to promote the so-called ‘‘carbon offset’’ system, the official said.

Under the system, companies and other entities provide funds for greenhouse gas emission reduction programs such as afforestation and carbon credit purchases in accordance with the amounts they discharge.

Kamoshita held separate talks with Johnson and Benn prior to a three-day meeting of G-8 environment ministers in the western Japan port city, which began Saturday.

The G-8—Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States—and 10 outreach countries, including emerging powerhouses such as China, India, Mexico and South Africa, are taking part in the gathering.

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7 Comments

weedkila at 05:59 PM JST - 24th May

What's wrong with CO2? The plants, trees etc love it and that means more oxygen for us!

Quote: Now, no matter how much CO2 we pump into the atmosphere each year, the biosphere takes out an average of 50 percent of that extra amount. Even after we triple the amount of CO2 we produce, nature still takes out 50 percent of the extra amount.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWJlODMxYmUzYWNmZGZiM2NhNmExYTYyNDUzYmViZjQ
GrouchyGaijin at 07:00 PM JST - 24th May

What's wrong with CO2? The plants, trees etc love it and that means more oxygen for us!

It's the imbalance. We put out more than can be absorbed, and then we cut down the very absorbtion points, the rainforests. It's not sustainable, nothing wrong with Co2 per se.
weedkila at 09:03 PM JST - 24th May

It's the imbalance. We put out more than can be absorbed, and then we cut down the very absorbtion points, the rainforests. It's not sustainable, nothing wrong with Co2 per se.

I agree with part of what you say in that "we cut down the very absorption points, the rainforests..." I don't necessarily agree with you on the point that the amount of CO2 humans put out is not sustainable. The amount of CO2 humans put into the atmosphere is extremely small in the overall scheme of things. The main driving force behind "climate change" is the sun. Water vapour is another (think of the difference in daytime-nighttime temperatures in deserts (dry) compared to say, Tokyo, with it's high humidity.)

These are a couple of recent articles from 'experts', including Australia's best-known expert on global warming, who think that we should

1) Pump sulphur into the atmosphere to save us from the ravages of global warming (even though it will change the colour of the sky and probably do other untold damage.)

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23724410-29277,00.html

2) Cut down trees to save us from global warming....

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-06/ffheresies04forests

I wonder how much money these guys are pocketing to scare us with this kind of stuff.

On the 'deniers" side of man-caused global warming here are hundreds, if not thousands of scientists who are not on corporate payrolls or whose opinions are not compromised by govt. grants who believe we should not be taken in by the politicians.

For example, a recent study in the International Journal of Climatology concluded that "climate change over the past thirty years was largely a result of solar activity and that attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are irrelevant." One MIT climate scientist (Dr. Richard Lindzen) said ""Controlling carbon is a bureaucrat's dream. If you control carbon, you control life."
Sarge at 10:24 PM JST - 24th May

"combating global warming"

Have they enlisted Mother Nature in this fight? If not, good luck!
romulus3 at 12:03 AM JST - 25th May

Global warming is just the earth on its natural cycle of killing everything off and starting again fresh, thanks to Mr. Sun. its happened before many times and is even been written about in the bible under the guise of a vengeful and angry God as the culprit for the great flood. Of course this is well before people even thought the earth to be flat and everything orbits it. we will struggle contain its effects and billions will die, but just the poor, so rich people couldn't give a toss about it and can do nothing about it but fortify their positions for the future. romulus is not rich, but will not be in the number of saps who waste their money in a climate change fund. I would rather put my cash into amazon logging.
weedkila at 12:05 AM JST - 25th May

"combating global warming"

Good point Sarge. Notice also...

"clean technology fund’’

establishing a global fund

... involves a considerable amount of money.

make it a big fund

promote discussions on the proposed fund

promote the so-called ‘‘carbon offset’’ system ($$$$¥¥¥¥)

Under the system, companies and other entities provide funds ('other entities' = 6 bil. humans?)

carbon credit purchases
romulus3 at 02:05 AM JST - 25th May

djsick,

Al Gore is American and probably your "anti global warming is the fault of the USA" clubs pin up boy. It may be that he is trying for revenge on big business who did not back him, and the American public with his propaganda movie. The fact is that solar activity is contributing to this more than emissions. Funny how you are not lashing out at the cosmos or God. It is simply because you need tangibles rather than science. Global warming is big business. Hence this fund. It will attract billions from idiots who do not mind the majority of the cash being squandered on the protection of the rich in the event of genesis style global catastrophe. Of course they are faking it for cash. there is nothing we can do to reverse this.