SOUTHWEST CHINA ATTENTION TO GREENHOUSE GASES GROWS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000088

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ENRG CH
SUBJECT: SOUTHWEST CHINA ATTENTION TO GREENHOUSE GASES GROWS

CHENGDU 00000088 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) This cable contains sensitive but unclassified
information - not for distribution on the Internet.




2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Environmental Protection Bureaus in the
Southwest Chinese cities of Chengdu and Chongqing are studying
local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Chengdu environmental
officials will start measuring two GHGs, carbon dioxide and
methane, but have not said how they will use this data.
Chongqing does not currently monitor GHGs, but focuses on
foreign technology transfer that could help reduce GHG emissions
from coal-fired power plants. City officials also seem
interested in learning more about emissions trading systems. END
SUMMARY.



Chengdu Pilot Project to Measure Green House Gases?

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3. (SBU) Chengdu environmental officials plan this year to
install greenhouse gas monitoring equipment for the first time
at one of the city's air quality monitoring stations. Chengdu
has 38 automated air quality monitoring stations throughout the
greater metropolitan area that measure nitrogen dioxide, sulfur
dioxide (SO2),and large particulate matter. Officials at the
Chengdu Environmental Supervision Center (CESC) told Congenoff
that they planned to install equipment to monitor carbon dioxide
(CO2) and methane, two potent GHGs. The only currently planned
GHG monitoring site will be in downtown Chengdu, on top of a
low-rise building at the Sichuan Provincial Number Three
People's Hospital.




4. (SBU) Chengdu environmental officials will not say how they
will use the data collected from the station or if GHG
monitoring will be expanded to other stations around the city.
The Sichuan Environmental Protection Bureau has projects to
reduce agricultural GHG emissions and additional data could
support this effort. CESC officials declined recent requests
for meetings with the consulate. Chengdu's GHG monitoring
effort may be related to plans being discussed by national-level
environmental officials for regional emissions caps during the
12th Five Year Program (2011-2015). An early May 2009 China
Environmental News story suggests that the GHG monitoring
equipment has yet to be installed in Chengdu.



Chongqing Researching GHG Emissions and Seeking Advanced
Technology

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5. (SBU) Senior engineer Ran Tao of the Chongqing Center of
Environmental Monitoring and the Chongqing Academy of
Environmental Science told Congenoff in early May that she was
researching ways the municipality could reduce GHG emissions.
She commented that Chongqing Mayor Wang Hongju is very
interested in reducing GHG emissions. Rao said that power
generation accounts for 77 percent of Chongqing's total GHG
emissions but said that this estimate is not based on actual
emissions monitoring. She estimated emissions level using a
methodology she said is consistent with that of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Ran said that she
had not heard of any current GHG monitoring projects like
Chengdu's, and Chongqing did not plan to monitor GHGs.




6. (SBU) Ran concluded that Chongqing needs to increase
technology transfer from foreign countries in order to reduce
power plant emissions. She asserted that developed countries
have not done enough to help Chongqing reduce GHGs from
coal-fired power plants. Chongqing's official statistics show
that it relies on coal for about two-thirds of its total energy
consumption. Ran's research suggests to her that advanced
coal-power technology is the best option for Chongqing

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municipality, and other sources like wind power are not viable
options. While she did not mention a specific coal technology,
Rao seemed to be suggesting that developed countries should be
doing more to help China develop carbon capture and
sequestration technology. At the same time, she deemphasized
the idea of using existing technology to increase the thermal
efficiency of power plants. Note: Congenoff found it surprising
that, given Rao's focus on power plant GHG emissions, she did
not know the average thermal efficiency of coal-fired power
plants in Chongqing.



Ongoing Emissions Trading Research

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7. (SBU) Rao is very interested in emissions trading systems
like the Clean Development Mechanism established under the Kyoto
Protocol and the SO2 trading program in the United States. She
has researched the topic and is familiar with the U.S. Clean Air
Act. When Congenoff asked about whether Chongqing is seeking to
implement some form of emissions trading to control CO2 or SO2
emissions, Rao side-stepped the question. She replied only that
the National Development and Reform Commission had primary
responsibility for addressing global warming.




8. (SBU) Comment: During Congenoff's discussion with Rao,
several of her questions suggested that she may also be
researching methods of adapting an emissions trading system to
control water pollution in Chongqing's rivers. Rao did not say
if she was looking at intra-municipality trading systems or
larger regional or national systems.
BOUGHNER