Interview with Kimball Chen, Vice-President, WLPGA and Chairman and CEO ETG and Michael Kelly, Director Market Development, WLPGA.
In early December, Kimball Chen, First Vice-President, WLPGA and Chairman, Energy Transportation Group and Michael Kelly, Director Market Development, WLPGA, joined a ten thousand strong throng of ministers, negotiators, national government representatives, intergovernmental organizations, business groups, journalists, Al Gore and every type of NGO imaginable to attend the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings in the charming Polish city of Poznan.
WLPGA: What were these two weeks in Poznan about?
Michael Kelly: The two weeks of negotiations known officially as the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol 14 or COP-14 were notable as the first step in the process of hammering out an acceptable agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it lapses in 2012. Held against the backdrop of a global financial crisis that seems to be deepening every day, an incoming US Presidential administration that promises to re-engage the US with the issue of climate change and widespread scientific consensus that climate change is occurring faster than previously thought, the meeting content was broad, concise and extremely challenging.
WLPGA: Kimball, as WLPGA Vice-President, you are committed to the issue of mitigating climate change and the role LP Gas can play. What were the objectives of the WLPGA at COP-14?
Kimball Chen: WLPGA’s tasks at these negotiations were three-fold:
1. The first task was to ensure that the interests of the LP Gas industry were fairly and accurately represented. This was a complicated mission that required WLPGA to work with designated business organizations such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) that manage Business and Industry representation in the negotiations. The Poznan COP-14 was a large meeting that included hundreds of sub-negotiations and side-events on numerous different issues. While it was impossible to be present at every meeting, we tried to identify and monitor those meetings likely to produce real outcomes. Where possible, we tried to influence discussion.
2. The second task for WLPGA was to monitor developments and assess potential impacts and opportunities for our industry. Such analyses and their implications would then be discussed firstly with the WLPGA Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) and then be made available in useful form to the WLPGA membership. Fast moving developments in climate change regulations that filter down into national legislation directly affect the environment in which our members operate and WLPGA wants to ensure that the industry as a whole is forewarned and forearmed. An example of this is the recently released “whitepaper” for an Australian Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) that was floated during the COP.
3. The third and perhaps most important task was for the WLPGA to raise general awareness about the potential emission reducing benefits of using LP Gas. Overall, LP Gas demonstrates lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than petrol, diesel and electricity on an energy-equivalent basis. It is therefore among the most attractive options for lowering emissions. The recently released WLPGA study “LP Gas – An Energy Solution for a Low Carbon World” shows that in the debate on climate change the LP Gas industry has a good story to tell and WLPGA is committed to getting the message out.
WLPGA: Can you describe the “Poznan Business Day” event and the WLPGA participation in that event?
Michael Kelly: WLPGA participated in the “Poznan Business Day” event that was held at the Poznan International Fair on 9 December 2008. The event was organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and ICC, in close cooperation with the UNFCCC. We had also participated in the Bali Business day which was held during COP 13 in Bali in December 2007.
WLPGA: What was the objective of the “Business day at COP 14”?
Michael Kelly: The Poznan Business Day featured more than 35 speakers, including ambassadors from the US and France, a high-level session and four extended discussions, which showcased many policy recommendations from business experts. The WLPGA was represented by Kimball Chen. Over 150 participants attended the one-day meeting, including representatives of governments, international organizations, business, academia and NGO’s. The Poznan Business Day brought together business leaders and government representatives to explore regional, national and sectoral perspectives on the role of private sector in climate change activities. They delivered clear business insights and ideas designed to help government delegations make progress toward a workable climate policy framework. The program aimed to contribute to the negotiation process by efficiently and coherently interrelating the four main areas of business capability and initiative: energy efficiency and demand-side management; technology development and deployment; carbon markets and financing; and sectoral approaches.
WLPGA: Kimball, you spoke at one of the sessions at the Business Day – which issues did you emphasize?
Kimball Chen: I spoke in the Session that focused on the need for technological solutions to help mitigate climate change. A point I made, on behalf of the WLPGA, is that society and industry must get away from focusing exclusively on high technology solutions and also look towards “appropriate technology”. LPG offers mature, proven technologies that are already widely available on a global scale and offer highly attractive solutions for reducing GHG emissions immediately.
WLPGA: Was the Business Day participation successful?
Michael Kelly: The Business Day was successful in highlighting the business community’s concerns and recommendations for a post Kyoto framework, and in brainstorming ways in which this community can contribute to the ongoing UNFCCC discussions on this topic. The role of LPG was communicated effectively and in a way which prepares for clear participation and impact at COP 15, in Copenhagen this coming December 2009.
