Sustainable Development-Renewable Energy: Vogue Words

Jordan McBean
Certified Emissions Reductions Inc, Calgary, AB

Could the sound business practices of the corporate world merge with the sustainable development-renewable energy practices of the environmentalists with the results being attractive investor returns, meeting or exceeding greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and increasing the capacity of developing nations to be able to use our products and technology? Could that mechanism be the Kyoto Protocol? Yes!

The Kyoto Protocol can easily be broken into a continuum where developed countries transfer relatively old technology to developing countries at low costs to acquire carbon credits to offset their reduction requirements. The net effect is that the developing country gains valuable opportunity to increase their power sources, which in turn attracts industry, increases employment and brings them ultimately to a consumer level. This is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) aspect of the Kyoto Protocol. As a result, developed countries create new technologies (clean coal, energy efficient production processes, hydrogen fuel cells, etc.) that reduce GHG's even further while still increasing their bottom line.

Industries in developed nations should be embracing Kyoto by developing business models and long term plans to realize significant profits over the short and long term. Whether it be participating in project development, project finance through the use of treasury funds, or to secure long term positions on carbon credits through 10 year forward sales agreements. By participating at one or more of these levels, companies will avail themselves of the opportunity to increase their bottom line while countries, whether they be developed or developing, will increase their GDP.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90039©2005 AAPG Calgary, Alberta, June 16-19, 2005