Monday, September 26, 2005

Govt to implement Euro II emission standards

By Razen Manandhar
(The Himalayan Times)
Kathmandu, Septermber 25 [2005]
The Ministry for Environment, Science and Technology (MoEST) is preparing to introduce Euro II standards of emission for new vehicles entering the country.

Lok Darshan Regmi, a joint-secretary at MoEST said, the ministry is making necessary arrangements to introduce the Euro II standards of emission for new vehicles in the country. "We will soon introduce Euro II emission standards. We should have gone for the Euro III standards but this is not practically possible in a country like Nepal," Regmi said.

In general, the Euro I standards allow emission of 2.75 gm/km of carbon monoxide while Euro II allows only 2.20. Thus, the new standards will make obsolete old vehicles and enable entry of new vehicles that emit less smoke and pollutant particles. However, the government’s recent move is drawing mixed reactions from the environmentalists, vehicle owners and dealers.

Dr Toran Sharma, the executive director of Nepal Environment and Scientific Services, said it mattered little whether the government introduces Euro II standards of gases because the Emission Standards 2056, which introduced the Euro I emission standards, is still under question. "The government implemented Euro I standards six years ago but we have yet to see its impact in the quality of air we breathe. We will have to see what changes the implementation of Euro II standards will bring in the quality of air," he said.

Implementation of Euro standards have close links with the quality of fuel used in vehicles, maintenance of vehicles and the quality of roads and at the present context here they are not yet compatible for Euro II standards, he said.

"It is good to introduce a new standard but the government must make necessary preparations to bring desired effect and make the change practical. Slogans are not enough to clean the capital," he said.

Dipak KC, the programme officer at Clean Energy Nepal said that the people should welcome the new step despite all constraints accompanying it. "Along with introduction of the new standard, the government should also put stress on implementation and making the country ready for the next step," he said.

The automobile dealers, however, claim the implementation of Euro II emission standards is impossible and not practical in Nepali context. Hikmat Bahadur Mali, the president of Nepal Automobile Dealers’ Association, said implementation of the Euro II emission standards is surely going to take some time because lots of other preparations have to be done before the standard is effectively implemented.

Govt to implement Euro II emission standards

Razen Manandhar

Kathmandu, September 25[2005]:
The Ministry for Environment, Science and Technology (MoEST) is preparing to introduce Euro II standards of emission for new vehicles entering the country. Lok Darshan Regmi, a joint-secretary at MoEST said, the ministry is making necessary arrangements to introduce the Euro II standards of emission for new vehicles in the country. “We will soon introduce Euro II emission standards. We should have gone for the Euro III standards but this is not practically possible in a country like Nepal,” Regmi said. In general, the Euro I standards allow emission of 2.75 gm/km of carbon monoxide while Euro II allows only 2.20. Thus, the new standards will make obsolete old vehicles and enable entry of new vehicles that emit less smoke and pollutant particles. However, the government’s recent move is drawing mixed reactions from the environmentalists, vehicle owners and dealers.
Dr Toran Sharma, the executive director of Nepal Environment and Scientific Services, said it mattered little whether the government introduces Euro II standards of gases because the Emission Standards 2056, which introduced the Euro I emission standards, is still under question. “The government implemented Euro I standards six years ago but we have yet to see its impact in the quality of air we breathe. We will have to see what changes the implementation of Euro II standards will bring in the quality of air,” he said. Implementation of Euro standards have close links with the quality of fuel used in vehicles, maintenance of vehicles and the quality of roads and at the present context here they are not yet compatible for Euro II standards, he said.
“It is good to introduce a new standard but the government must make necessary preparations to bring desired effect and make the change practical. Slogans are not enough to clean the capital,” he said. Dipak KC, the programme officer at Clean Energy Nepal said that the people should welcome the new step despite all constraints accompanying it. “Along with introduction of the new standard, the government should also put stress on implementation and making the country ready for the next step,” he said. The automobile dealers, however, claim the implementation of Euro II emission standards is impossible and not practical in Nepali context. Hikmat Bahadur Mali, the president of Nepal Automobile Dealers’ Association, said implementation of the Euro II emission standards is surely going to take some time because lots of other preparations have to be done before the standard is effectively implemented.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Nepal player in world carbon trade, courtesy Kyoto Protocol

By Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, September 22
Thanks to the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, Nepal has entered the world "market" of carbon trading, where it can reap the benefits of promoting eco-friendly fuels and contribute to reducing the greenhouse gas effects in the world. Nepal, which remained the only country in the South Asia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, finally submitted the necessary documents for the ratification last week. The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement setting targets for industrialised countries to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions comes into force from February 16, has been so far ratified by over 140 countries. Nepal deposited with the UN the Instrument of Accession at a function organised during the Treaty Event at the UN headquarters last Friday. The process of recognition generally takes three months to complete.

"We have recently become suitable sellers of carbon in the world market," said Joint-Secretary at Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Lok Darshan Regmi, today.

He said, After ratifying the Protocol, Nepal will get many doors opened to it for dealing with the world against the contribution we have made so far in the area of controlling emission of carbon dioxide and other gases." But to be a eligible candidate selling carbon credit, that is selling the due of reducing greenhouse gases, Nepal will first have to establish a Designated National Authority (DNA) that deals with the developed countries for selling the carbon credit.

Bikas Pande, coordinator of the Climate Change Network-Nepal (CCNN), said the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol itself is not everything but has merely opened the door to wider possibilities. "Our job starts now. We can now go for searching for buyers of carbon we have preserved by introduction of eco-friendly sources of energy, which is called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Projects" he said.

He added that the possible CDM projects in Nepal’s context could be bio-gas and micro-hydro projects. This apart, Winrock Nepal has identified five other possible areas that Nepal can put forward — vertical shaft brick kilns, improved cooking stove, Safa tempos, solar tuki, and cooking gas produced from solid waste landfill sites. Sandeep Chamling Rai, Climate Change Officer at WWF Nepal, said the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol would make Nepal’s CDM projects implementation easier. "We can work much easier and wider in the future. But for this, the DNA has to be set up as soon as possible," he said.

The Himalayan Times, 23 September 2005, National

Nepal player in world carbon trade, courtesy Kyoto Protocol

Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, September 22[2005]:

Thanks to the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, Nepal has entered the world “market” of carbon trading, where it can reap the benefits of promoting eco-friendly fuels and contribute to reducing the greenhouse gas effects in the world.

Nepal, which remained the only country in the South Asia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, finally submitted the necessary documents for the ratification last week.

The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement setting targets for industrialised countries to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions comes into force from February 16, has been so far ratified by over 140 countries. Nepal deposited with the UN the Instrument of Accession at a function organised during the Treaty Event at the UN headquarters last Friday. The process of recognition generally takes three months to complete.

“We have recently become suitable sellers of carbon in the world market,” said Joint-Secretary at Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Lok Darshan Regmi, today.
He said, After ratifying the Protocol, Nepal will get many doors opened to it for dealing with the world against the contribution we have made so far in the area of controlling emission of carbon dioxide and other gases.” But to be a eligible candidate selling carbon credit, that is selling the due of reducing greenhouse gases, Nepal will first have to establish a Designated National Authority (DNA) that deals with the developed countries for selling the carbon credit.

Bikas Pande, coordinator of the Climate Change Network-Nepal (CCNN), said the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol itself is not everything but has merely opened the door to wider possibilities. “Our job starts now. We can now go for searching for buyers of carbon we have preserved by introduction of eco-friendly sources of energy, which is called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Projects” he said.

He added that the possible CDM projects in Nepal’s context could be bio-gas and micro-hydro projects. This apart, Winrock Nepal has identified five other possible areas that Nepal can put forward — vertical shaft brick kilns, improved cooking stove, Safa tempos, solar tuki, and cooking gas produced from solid waste landfill sites.

Sandeep Chamling Rai, Climate Change Officer at WWF Nepal, said the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol would make Nepal’s CDM projects implementation easier. “We can work much easier and wider in the future. But for this, the DNA has to be set up as soon as possible,” he said.
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