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Coming on board the Guizhou Coal Mine Methane Recovery and Utilization Initiative as an intern from the University of Hong Kong MA in China Development Studies program brought more unexpected surprises than just the winter weather of Guiyang. Over the course of three weeks, I have learned more about the fight against climate change, and how things actually work on the ground in China, than I could have possibly imagined. Fresh from my trip to Bali for the United Nations Forum on Climate Change Conference, I was brimming with questions about how the most populous country in the world with one of the highest potential to utilize the Clean Development Mechanism was leading the charge to curb emissions. Already mentally prepared for the fact that these grand international messages often trickle-down to a very different reality, I fired off every last question to my knowledgeable sponsor and project manager, Boni Jiang.
What was surprising was that most of the coal mines, one of the largest emitting industries of China, knew about CDM projects to capture and use methane, but didn’t participate because many coal mines felt hindered by the complex rules and risks of the process in applying for the funds. In addition to that, the long process with possibilities of disapproval every step of the way combined with initial costs that would put most local businesses out of business. These many road blocks illustrated clearly that mitigating climate change through CDM in China requires a bit more than green intentions. That was only the discussion the first night in town.
The GZCMM Initiative aims to educate potential mine owners, illuminating the potential of harnessing the coal mine methane through projects that would benefit both the environment and their businesses. My function as intern at GZCMM was to primarily research, digest, and neatly package news here in China and around the world. It also meant that I had to educate myself on CDM projects and design documents (PDD’s) related to coal mine methane, which was an invaluable experience because people were on hand to answer any questions that I had. This laborious process that begins with an idea to reduce the amount of methane in the atmosphere, to laboriously calculating, sometimes creatively, the amount of CO2 equivalent emissions reduced, ultimately justifying why the money is needed in order for the project to be successful is all done through the sheer will to reduce emissions. Confusing? It took me about two hours to read through my first PDD, but became substantially more fluent after that. Immersing myself in pro/con CDM literature and thumbing through the different project proposals gave me a sense of which ones would be solid projects, which ones would be a thin-veiled money grab, and which ones just weren't very well thought out. That brings up two of what I see are the most challenging issues when dealing with CDM as a legitimate instrument to reduce emissions with CMM projects. One, the layers of bureaucracy involved to receive that treasured stamp of approval from the UN is usually not worth the trouble for most potential emissions reducers. Economically, five dollars today is worth more than twenty dollars possibly two years from now. Two, too many safeguards like additionality (that the project is not created to comply with the law) and double selling (to show that owners didn’t over-produce for the sake of CER credits) to avoid rent-seeking in the system by the project owners have placed an unfair amount of responsibility on these owners and the host countries. These regulations could have the negative side effect of dissuading some governments to enact greener laws. The task of reducing the impacts of climate change through CDM is weighed down with hurdles and oversimplifications.
I believe that one of humanities true fallacies is our short attention spans, requiring the reduction of many complex issues (i.e. climate change) to condensed slogans that produce magic bullets that just aren't enough. The clean development mechanism is no magic bullet but has enormous potential in mitigating anthropogenic climate change in conjunction to other more rigorous commitments to act on reducing emissions. In fact, not a single certified emission reduction credit has been issued in Guizhou for any coal mines, all the more reason for initiatives like the GZCMM to spread the word. It was made clear in Bali that the status quo is dangerously unacceptable.
All of this reading would not create a complete experience without some adventure out to the field. While sadly, I did not get the opportunity to visit a local coal mine, I was able to accompany Boni out to visit a few influential figures in the industry. These meetings were the most fruitful in helping me learn about the crucial link that connects the abstract policy to the very real people on the ground. Attending these meetings helped me to see how policies are translated to applicable actions in the community. This is what makes an internship a truly worthwhile experience, the process of understanding how the science is translated into action.
On a more lighthearted note, I was given the chance to proofread and give input on the GZCMM initiative's second newsletter! It was an exciting process that gave me an opportunity to feel some ownership of the initiative as an intern. Being in China also gave me an opportunity to improve my Putonghua, and my co-worker Echo, graciously agreed to a language exchange, by the end of three weeks I feel that my Putonghua has improved many times over, though I wonder how much my counterpart's English has fared. The past three weeks have flown by, sprinkled with bits of cultural experiences, Guiyang dishes with moutai, visits to old towns, and getting to know a local Chinese hardcore band. I cannot express the gratitude for this opportunity from my hosts to be welcomed as a part of the team and a part of their family for the last three weeks; it is something that any intern can only wish for.
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