ID :
51670
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 21:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/51670
The shortlink copeid
Ukrainian premier pledges to introduce Japanese green technology
KIEV, March 21 Kyodo -
Ukraine, the first foreign government to sell greenhouse gas emission rights to
Japan, will use its proceeds to introduce environmental technology solely from
Japan to the country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Friday.
Tymoshenko, who is set to visit Japan from Wednesday, said during an interview
with Kyodo News that Ukraine chose Japan as ''a strategic partner as it has the
best technology in the world'' to modernize Ukraine's Soviet-era production
equipment and infrastructure.
Her comments came after the Japanese and Ukrainian governments signed a
contract March 18 under which Ukraine will sell 30 million tons of emission
rights to Japan to help the latter, a major greenhouse gas emitter, meet its
Kyoto Protocol commitment to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gas.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, Japan is required to cut such emissions by 6 percent
from its 1990 levels during the period between 2008 and 2012.
The 48-year-old prime minister said her country will look only to Japanese
companies when deciding on how the proceeds will be spent. Under the scheme,
the use of the money earned from selling such rights is limited to investments
in environmental technology, but the choice of specific projects and companies
is in the hands of Kiev.
She said Ukraine and Japan could cooperate in the improvement of
energy-consuming heating systems, steel and chemical plants, and water services
in the European nation.
Under the latest emission trading deal, Ukraine agreed to sell 15 million tons
of emission rights, which could translate into around 40 billion yen at the
recent market price, each in fiscal 2008 and 2009.
Beyond that, Tymoshenko, a leading candidate in the presidential election in
January 2010, said she will decide on whether to continue selling such rights
to Japan after looking at the level of success during the initial stage of
bilateral cooperation.
At a time when the current global economic slowdown has put the Ukrainian
economy in dire straits, sales of emission rights are an important source of
revenue for the country, critics said.
The accord with Ukraine can also be a boon to Japan, whose exports are
plummeting also due to the global recession, as the deal may boost sales of its
environmental technology overseas, they said.
Ukraine plans to increase its sales of emission rights to foreign countries by
15 times from the level in the deal with Japan by 2012.
On its relations with Russia, with which Ukraine has had natural gas disputes,
Tymoshenko said Ukraine is ready to build good relations as long as Russia
respects Ukraine's independence and its move toward integration with the
European Union.
Russia has repeatedly threatened to cut off its natural gas supplies to
Ukraine, through which the European Union gains access to the energy source.
==Kyodo
2009-03-21 22:02:33
Ukraine, the first foreign government to sell greenhouse gas emission rights to
Japan, will use its proceeds to introduce environmental technology solely from
Japan to the country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Friday.
Tymoshenko, who is set to visit Japan from Wednesday, said during an interview
with Kyodo News that Ukraine chose Japan as ''a strategic partner as it has the
best technology in the world'' to modernize Ukraine's Soviet-era production
equipment and infrastructure.
Her comments came after the Japanese and Ukrainian governments signed a
contract March 18 under which Ukraine will sell 30 million tons of emission
rights to Japan to help the latter, a major greenhouse gas emitter, meet its
Kyoto Protocol commitment to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gas.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, Japan is required to cut such emissions by 6 percent
from its 1990 levels during the period between 2008 and 2012.
The 48-year-old prime minister said her country will look only to Japanese
companies when deciding on how the proceeds will be spent. Under the scheme,
the use of the money earned from selling such rights is limited to investments
in environmental technology, but the choice of specific projects and companies
is in the hands of Kiev.
She said Ukraine and Japan could cooperate in the improvement of
energy-consuming heating systems, steel and chemical plants, and water services
in the European nation.
Under the latest emission trading deal, Ukraine agreed to sell 15 million tons
of emission rights, which could translate into around 40 billion yen at the
recent market price, each in fiscal 2008 and 2009.
Beyond that, Tymoshenko, a leading candidate in the presidential election in
January 2010, said she will decide on whether to continue selling such rights
to Japan after looking at the level of success during the initial stage of
bilateral cooperation.
At a time when the current global economic slowdown has put the Ukrainian
economy in dire straits, sales of emission rights are an important source of
revenue for the country, critics said.
The accord with Ukraine can also be a boon to Japan, whose exports are
plummeting also due to the global recession, as the deal may boost sales of its
environmental technology overseas, they said.
Ukraine plans to increase its sales of emission rights to foreign countries by
15 times from the level in the deal with Japan by 2012.
On its relations with Russia, with which Ukraine has had natural gas disputes,
Tymoshenko said Ukraine is ready to build good relations as long as Russia
respects Ukraine's independence and its move toward integration with the
European Union.
Russia has repeatedly threatened to cut off its natural gas supplies to
Ukraine, through which the European Union gains access to the energy source.
==Kyodo
2009-03-21 22:02:33
