International Event in China to Fight Climate Change

Washington, D.C.—The Methane to Markets Partnership Expo in Beijing this week has attracted more than 700 participants from 34 countries, demonstrating widespread international interest and commitment to a growing public-private partnership that cuts potent greenhouse gas emissions while promoting the use of clean energy.

The expo, which began on Tuesday and runs through Thursday, is being co-hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and supported by several key international public and private-sector organizations.

“The Bush Administration knows the challenge of global climate change is exactly that–global,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “America is committed to being a good international neighbor, and together with our partners, we are working toward a cleaner, healthier, more productive world.”

The expo features an “International Methane Capture Marketplace,” the first international forum devoted to the promotion of methane recovery-and-use projects. The marketplace is showcasing 91 potential projects in the agriculture, coal, landfill, and oil and gas sectors that promise to deliver significant clean development and climate change benefits throughout the world.

These projects will capture and utilize methane as a clean energy source. If fully implemented, these projects are estimated to yield annual methane emissions reductions of 11.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2015.

The expo is the largest Methane to Markets event to date. The Methane to Markets Partnership was founded by the United States and 13 other countries in 2004, and focuses on advancing cost-effective, near-term capture and use of methane from agricultural operations, underground coal mines, landfills, and natural gas and oil systems.

For more information on climate change, visit Earth 911′s Climate Change page.