ARGENTINA provides an interesting case of a country with enormous potential to advance clean development but currently has very few projects registered, particularly in comparison to its neighbour Brazil. Establishing why this is the case and in turn, addressing what can be done about it will be critical if Argentina is to fulfil its commitment to control carbon emissions according to the growth of the GNP; a commitment that will require a reduction of emissions of between 2-10% compared with the expected level of emissions.

Argentina has begun establishment of a legal framework to support and promote the use of renewable energy in the country. The objective of Argentina’s renewable energy law is to promote renewable energy electricity generation and technology research, demonstration, and implementation. Argentina’s renewable energy policy calls for 8% of electricity to be generated from renewable energy sources in 10 years. Future renewable energy installations include geothermal, tidal, biomass, landfill gas, and biogas facilities as well as large hydro facilities (over 30 MW). Beyond potential for a vast increase in the uptake of renewables, the forestry and agriculture sectors present untapped potential.

Field work in Argentina has now commenced. To find out more click here.

INDIA has been the leading participant across all sectors and project sizes in the CDM to date. These include a vast range of projects in manufacturing (cement industry), wind power, biomass, cogeneration, waste heat recover and many small-scale projects. The diversity of projects within the country provides a unique opportunity to explore ideas about how institutions can create synergy between social and developmental outcomes.

According to the 11th New and Renewable Energy five-year plan proposed by the government of India, from 2008-2012 the renewable energy market in India will reach an estimated US $19 billion. The Indian government has also set specific targets for renewable energy; expecting renewable energy to contribute 10% of total power generation capacity by 2012. 

Furthermore, as home to one third of the world’s poor people, India assumes a central role in donor efforts to tackle poverty and therefore projects that can genuinely capture developmental as well as environmental benefits are at a premium.

For Initial reflections on the governance of clean energy in India, see Peter Newell's article in Britain in 2011, The Politics of Change: Tackling Poverty in a Carbon Constrained World, or our working paper, Governing Clean Energy in India.

SOUTH AFRICA is one of the only significant host countires of CDM projects in Africa. These include projects on landfill gas, fuel switching projects and urban housing energy upgrades. South Africa is also the continent's greatest emitter of greenhouse gases, with energy production overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuel and with large coal reserves it amongst the world’s top coal exporters.

While South Africa faces a significant challenge in how to reduce the energy intensity of its economy, particularly in the mining and manufacturing sectors, the country has enormous potential for CDM activity development: South Africa is the most advanced country both technologically and economically in Africa and has a well developed transportation, energy and communication infrastructure.

With about a third of households, mainly in rural areas, lacking access to electricity, projects have the potential to achieve sustainable development objectives that are a high priority for the South African government. It is important, therefore, to establish what lessons may be gleaned from the governance of these projects that could be applicable both within South Africa and beyond to the region as a whole.

Read more about Lucy Baker's current work in South Africa, or read Lucy's working paper, Governing Electrcity in South Africa: Wind, Coal and Power Struggles.

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Images courtesy of NASA/ JPL-Caltech (Global City Lights), D’Arcy Norman (Landfill), Trees for the Future (Panchayat), Tripp (Powerlines)