The partnership will build on existing bilateral partnerships and multilateral climate change-related energy technology initiatives.

Kolkata , May 10

The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, recently constituted by five Asian countries and the United States, has finalised the draft action plan for eight task forces which will focus on the creation of new investment opportunities, building local capacity, improving human health, reducing harmful air pollution and reducing the growth of greenhouse gas emission levels in these countries.

The countries representing the Asia-Pacific region are India, China, S. Korea, Japan and Australia.

The partnership involves countries that account for about half of the world's population and more than half of the world's economy and energy use. It will build on existing bilateral partnerships and multilateral climate change-related energy technology initiatives, including the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, the International Partnership for the hydrogen economy and the methane-to-markets partnership. The US Government has proposed $52 million in funding to support the work of the partnership.

Eight task forces

Of the eight, India will co-chair the steel and coal mining task forces which will be chaired by Japan and the US, respectively. The other six task forces cover cleaner fossil energy, renewable energy and distributed generation, power generation and transmission, aluminium, cement and buildings and appliances. The Asia-Pacific partners account for nearly 50 per cent of the world's steel production.

The steel task force will facilitate environmental management systems in partnership countries together with increased recycling.

It will provide initial focus on operations in China and India.

As far as coal is concerned, the Asia-Pacific region collectively generates about 65 per cent of the world's primary coal production.