11 December 1996
ENGLISH ONLY
SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE
Fourth session
Geneva, 16-18 December 1996
Item 4 (b) of the provisional agenda
By its decision 9/CP.2, the Conference of the Parties, at its
second session, requested the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice (SBSTA) to consider methodological issues
relevant to national communications and, in particular, at its fourth
session, to address those issues discussed in FCCC/SBSTA/1996/9/Add.1
and 2; and, if relevant conclusions on such issues could be drawn, to
revise further the guidelines for the preparation of national
communications as appropriate (FCCC/CP/1996/15/Add.1).
The SBSTA invited Parties to submit their views on the
methodological issues identified in documents FCCC/SBSTA/1996/9/Add.1
and 2, as well as on other methodological issues related to national
communications from Annex I Parties, by 15 October 1996, for possible
inclusion in the programme of work of the SBSTA.
In addition to the comments already received (see
FCCC/SBSTA/1996/MISC.5), the secretariat has now received a
submission from Pakistan. In accordance with the procedure for
miscellaneous documents, this submission is attached and reproduced
in the language in which it was received without formal
editing.
FCCC/SBSTA/1996/MISC.5/Add.1
GE.96-
I. ACCOUNTING FOR THE EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH
ELECTRICITY TRADE
On electricity trade bunker fuels and temperature adjustment this
Ministry is of the view that Pakistan, who at present does not import
or export electricity to any of its neighboring country but in future
it may do so under bilateral agreement with neighboring countries
such as Tajikistan etc. and may therefore, develop methodology
agreeing to answer to question given in para 23.
II. ALLOCATION AND CONTROL OF INTERNATIONAL
BUNKER FUELS
In view of the complexities involved in allocation and universal
use of air mode of transport, the Option 2 (mentioned in para 44 of
FCCC/SBSTA/1996/9/Add.2) i.e. allocation of global emissions from
aviation bunker fuels to Parties in proportion to their national
emissions is more appealing. However, due to considerations of
land-locked countries Option 1 (mentioned in para 67) which leaves
the matter of allocation of emissions from marine bunkers to be
decided by IMO seems more logical.
III. USE OF GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIALS
Future of man is dependent on the quality of environmental
preservation. It is, therefore, the need of the hour that we may
protect our environment; and may participate in all those activities
that are helpful in the preservation of our general environment
including emission of harmful gases, whose sources are energy related
activities, industrial processes, use of certain solvents,
agricultural activities, and waste mismanagement.
IV. ACCOUNTING FOR LAND-USE CHANGE AND FORESTRY
We need to acquire clean energy technologies, adoption of
non-carbondioxide emission processes besides reduction in the
intensity of excess NOx and SOx particles, increased carbonoxides
uptake by the forest. This is required because climatic change has
adverse effects on water resources, agriculture, forest, Aquatic
eco-system and sea level.
V. USE OF TEMPERATURE ADJUSTMENTS
To keep the GHG emissions comparable among Parties it is
recommended that only data that are not temperature - adjusted should
be submitted. However, the levels of necessary adjustments may be
mentioned as remarks. Another special case falling in this category
could be the base year (i.e. 1990) being more "wet" (having higher
hydro generation) than "average" year resulting in lesser use of
fossil fuel based plants. This may also be treated in a manner
similar to temperature adjustments.
We may propose development or transfer of the following
technologies
(a) Quality assurance and control technologies for implementation electrical equipment
standards
(b) Capability building for enhancing efficiency of basic material industries like cement,
fertilizer, chemical etc.
VI. OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
Design and engineering capacity building for expansion of railways
to reduce expansion of relatively inefficient road
transport.
Development of design and engineering capability for non-fossil
energy technologies i.e. hydro power and nuclear.