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What is the biggest challenge facing the Latin American Carbon Markets in the short term (1-3 years)?
The fact that Asia is predicted to generate 84% of all CERs expected until 2012 is a real challenge facing the development of CDM opportunities in Latin America. CDM offers a real opportunity to finance technological improvements and sustainable development, but the window of opportunity generated by the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period is closing quickly. Therefore the challenge is to get as many projects off the ground as possible, especially when it comes to sectors such as waste and effluent treatment, which are the most sensitive to carbon revenue. In comparison with Asia, Latin America, especially Brazil, has to define workable solutions for the future, especially with regards to the need to reduce GHG emissions from deforestation.

Do you think the Latin American region is well positioned to benefit from CDM projects when compared to other regions?
The numbers cited above show that this is not the case if we compare with the situation in Asia, which benefits from renewable energy projects that can clean its dirty energy matrix, as well as huge industrial projects in the N2O and HFC sector. Unfortunately, the sectors where Latin America has huge potential, e.g. reforestation and avoided deforestation, are currently hampered. While reforestation might still be of relevance in the first commitment period, avoided deforestation was not admitted to the Marrakech Accords, in part due to Brazil’s opposition. Biofuels, another sector where Latin America has a large competitive advantage, also remains blocked by a lack of methodologies, plus the huge opportunities in the urban waste sectors remain uncovered due to frequent inefficiency of local governments.

In which country in the region are the most interesting CDM developments taking place at this time?
It’s great to see the recent successful developments in Mexico and Central American countries. Today all countries have CDM projects under development, and Mexico in particular is growing rapidly. This is a direct result of the positive support received from the central governments and municipalities. Argentina is also of increasing interest as it recovers from its economic crisis. The Andean Countries still have huge uncovered potential but they are often difficult to realize due to regulatory uncertainties. Brazil remains a country with huge and interesting potential, but regulatory risks often make it difficult to realize projects in the short timeframe given by the Kyoto Protocol. The region can still benefit greatly from the CDM, but immediate action is required to realise projects and to compete with Asia.

What is the most interesting carbon mitigation project in the region that you have come across and why?
Among the most interesting projects that have been proposed are those that promote renewable charcoal within the iron and steel sector. This sector is one of the biggest GHG emitters worldwide and it is extremely difficult to reduce emissions internally. Only Brazil has an industry that, in parts, uses renewable charcoal from eucalyptus tree plantations. In total it contributes to about 0,6% of the world’s iron production. So far it has not been possible to convince the UN Executive Board that this industry, as long as it is based on sustainably grown forests, should be rewarded with carbon credits, which it needs to survive. Nevertheless it is one of the most effective GHG mitigation projects, as it combines the benefits of carbon sequestration in forests, the generation of work in rural areas and guidance as to how project developers can reduce emissions in blast furnace operations.

How would you like to see things develop post 2012?
The carbon trading mechanism has already proved itself to be an efficient tool to reduce worldwide emissions, but the barriers and difficulties experienced by many involved in the market must be reduced in order to curb emissions in a cost effective way. It is crucial that we have an international alliance for the Kyoto Protocol’s successor. It is also essential that we have broader possibilities for tradable GHG abatement and that we introduce avoided deforestation as a new Kyoto sector. Otherwise not only will 25% of the worlds GHG emissions continue, but unrecoverable biodiversity and possibilities for future value creation will be lost. Together with such broader mitigation potential we need stricter emission targets in order to maintain the carbon price at a reasonable level to assist economies as they adapt to a carbon constrained world without harming them. I would also like to see further regulation of the voluntary market, in particular, moving towards one consistent standard for voluntary offsets and a robust criteria for verifying them.

Meet Pedro at Carbon Markets Americas, View Agenda l Register Now

Carbon Markets Americas is an interactive networking forum designed to address how project developers can develop strategies to benefit from the CDM.

• 220 participants from 23 countries attended in 2006, don't miss this opportunity to do business in Latin America's growing carbon markets - register today!
• Learn from practical CDM project experience: Comexhidro, Solvay, Celulose Irani, Votorantim Cimentos, Suez Environmental, Sadia and market experts including:
• Marco Monroy, Chief Executive Officer, MGM International
• Pedro Mouro Costa, President & COO, EcoSecurities
• Hajime Uchida, General Manager, Banco Sumitomo Mitsui
• Christian del Valle, BNP Paribas
• Helio Neves, Deputy Green and Environment Secretary, Municipality of São Paulo, Brazil
• Gisela Ulloa, Coordinator, Bolivia DNA, Bolivia
• Mary Gómez, Head of Latin American Carbon Program PLAC, CAF, Columbia
• Imtiaz Ahmad, Vice President, Morgan Stanley, UK
• Basak Beyazey, Emissions Trader, TOTAL, UK
• Network with some of the worlds largest carbon credit buyers, carbon bankers and project financiers
• Free Passes: A number of free passes are still available for project developers, contact nigel.yeates@greenpowerconferences.com for details.
• A conferência será realizada em Inglês, Português e Espanhol, com tradução simultânea
• Plus: Project Developer Coaching Seminar, 2nd April

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"Carbon Markets Americas was one of the best climate change events that I have participated in, in the past three years"
ICF Consulting

Biofuels Markets Americas

• Meet Biofuels Producers from: Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, Ecuador & Guatemala
  • Marcelo Guerra, President, Sindacucar, Brazil
  • Alejandro Takahasi, President, Petropar, Paraguay
  • Frank Kanayet, Chief Executive Officer, Petrotesting, Colombia
  • João Luiz Ribas Pessa, Chief Executive Officer, Cooperbio, Brazil
  • José Luis Martínez Justo, Director, SoyEnergy, Argentina
  • Erasmo Carlos Battistella, Commercial Director, BS Sul, Brazil
  • Percival Andrade, Technical Director, La Fabril, Ecuador
• Plus representatives from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Argentine Ministry of Agriculture, Petrobras, Repsol YPF, Volkswagen, Toyota, Barralcool, World Bank, BNDES and more
• Discover new opportunities for developing biofuels projects in Latin America
• Over 1000 participants from 64 countries attended the Biofuels Markets conference series in 2006, register now and learn about the opportunities in Latin Americas growing biofuels markets
• A conferência será realizada em Inglês, Português e Espanhol, com tradução simultânea
• Plus: Biogas Markets Seminar, 2nd April

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“Biofuels Markets Americas was the most valuable meeting that I attended last year”
A&S Phytochemical Investigation

Sponsor Carbon Markets Americas or Biofuels Markets Americas and benefit from:

• Unique networking opportunities with an international audience of carbon and biofuels experts
• Extensive profiling and global branding on the website, brochure and e-marketing campaign
• Extensive on-site branding at the event helping your company stick out against the rest of the pack
• Opportunity for a Key Speaker position on  the Programme
• With Carbon Markets and Biofuels Markets co-located at the same venue, your company can benefit from both delegate audiences sharing the same networking receptions, lunches, coffee breaks and Exhibition areas ensuring larger audiences and added opportunities to do business.

General Enquiries                                                                                   
Contact: Madeleine Antaki on Tel: +44 207 801 6333, Fax: +44 207 900 1853
madeleine.antaki@greenpowerconferences.com
Shakespeare House, 168 Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TF, UK                                                                                        

3 Million Euro Funding for Renewables
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) today announced a call for project proposals which support the development of markets for renewable energy and energy efficiency.  The project call is REEEP's largest in its four year history with more than 3 million Euro available for projects in least developed countries and emerging market economies.

The project call received funding from a consortium comprised of Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.  Norway, the new major donor of REEEP and the United Kingdom will be pooling funds allowing for larger investments into projects.  Ireland and Italy will continue their focus on Africa and New Zealand will bring small island states in the Pacific into focus.

The REEEP call is an open tender seeking projects from priority countries - China, India and Brazil and from across the developing world.  Based on the experience gained over the last two years with a bottom-up approach to selecting projects, REEEP will be piloting a combination of bottom-up and top-down commissioned strategic projects. 

REEEP is inviting countries with specific legislative or regulatory needs or development finance institutions with need for financing and business models to develop a project directly with REEEP.  It is hoped that by assisting governments with lowering risk within the renewables and energy efficiency sector and working with development agencies to encourage business and finance models, finance can be attracted into new markets.

REEEP has also decided to further increase the importance of energy efficiency in its portfolio and throughout emerging markets.  The project call will be seeking bidders for the production of a REEEP Report on Energy Efficiency - in order to accurately portray the benefits and role that energy efficiency can play in improving energy security, lowering carbon emissions, and enhancing industrial competitiveness, covering the market, policy, stakeholders and key initiatives.

The call for project proposals will also commission work around reducing the risk of investing into renewables and energy efficiency, synthesizing REEEP experiences from its 50 previous projects and replicating successes achieved in the 18 completed projects.

Dr. Marianne Osterkorn, REEEP International Director stated that the partnership can now add value across a number of areas. "We can now fund larger and longer term projects and in addition to our  bottom-up approach, the targeted approach will help to strategically accelerate key markets for renewable energy and energy efficiency".

Members & Associates can download bid documents at: http://www.reeep.org/groups/6thcallforproposals

To become an Associate, please fill-out the form at: http://www.reeep.org/trampoline/createaccountpublic2/

REEEP previously disbursed € 2.2 million euro in 2006 and € 1.1 million in 2005.