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Published on December 6, 2007

BALI, INDONESIA

Speaking to The Nation yesterday, Aree Wattana Tummakird, director of the measure analysis section at the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, said the Kingdom did not have enough information on the issue to negotiate with other countries.

"Compared to the energy sector, we have very little data for the forestry sector. Thus, we are considering not using our limited energy to fight for forestry's CDM in this round of negotiations," she said.

CDM is a mechanism initiated by the Kyoto Protocol to allow developing countries to volunteer cutting their emissions by selling carbon credits to industrialised countries through clean developments that reduce emissions.

Energy and forestry are the top two sectors in which CDM is applied. CDM is one of the most controversial issues being negotiated here at the 13th United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention.

Aree Wattana said the Thai forestry sector had shown poor preparedness for CDM.

 "We repeatedly asked them to prepare required data but got few reactions. Instead, they keep blaming us for not supporting a CDM proposal. They did not realise that supporting data is important and necessary for negotiating. If we are not ready, then we should not waste our limited energy to fight for it," she added.

However, Suphavit Piampongsant of the Forestry Industry Organisation said the CDM process was ongoing and still far from concluded.

In the energy sector, Thailand will be negotiating for biogas, biomass and landfill projects, said Aree Wattana.

According to a Thai delegate, CDM is one of the three most sensitive and controversial issues Thailand is negotiating in Bali. The other two are the adaptation fund and long-term dialogue.

Negotiations will be concluded in the last three days of the conference at high-level meetings from December 12-14.

The current debate focuses on four topics: adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer and finance mechanisms.

Yesterday was the third day of the conference.

 Kamol Sukin

 The Nation