The BBC is now reporting that the US and Australia may be close to nearing a deal on climate change, along with several Asian countries.
New Climate Plan to Rival Kyoto
Details are sketchy, but according to the article much of the agreement may center around transfer of clean-coal technologies. Hopefully that will be in addition to other forms of cleaner energy, as becoming a leading exporter of clean forms of energy could be a boon for the US economy and reduce CO2 emissions at the same time, but I wouldn't hold your breath.
This could almost be seen as at least a small positive step from the perspective of Bush Administration recognition of Climate Change (CC) as an issue. But of course, there are many reasons to be skeptical, including the scope of this potential agreement.
While Asian countries like China, India, and Australia, along with the US, are currently operating outside of the Kyoto framework, this agreement could end up allowing them to continue to rely on coal to a detrimental degree at the expense of other technologies that would be cleaner. Of course the American coal power industry would love to become suppliers of all sorts of coal scrubbing technology to these countries, but it is the residents of those countries who have the greatest interest in moving their countries towards more reliance on newer, cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, rather than investing so heavily in coal, which will increase their mercury pollution and CO2 emissions.
Of course, there are lots of ways to reduce emissions from coal fired power plants, some of which are under consideration by Governor Granholm here in Michigan, and elsewhere throughout the country. Mercury Reductions Feasible
The bottom line here is that the apparent move to reduce the coal-fired power plant emissions through this technology transfer is really a half-step, at best, despite its disguise as a giant leap forward.
Taken in concert with the $6 Billion in incentives for coal fired electricity and federal loan guarantees for at least 16 new coal-fired power plants in the energy bill that is emerging from conference committee (Summary of Harmful Provisions in Energy Bill), it is clear that the Bush Administration is not really serious about reducing the CO2 or Mercury emissions from the coal industry, and this newest step should be properly seen as a way to increase the access to Asian markets for scrubber technologies of the coal-industry, rather than a serious attempt to reduce climate change.