A feasibility study on slashing greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide is to be rolled out by China to ensure clean development in the next few years.

The country has received US$570,000 of assistance from the governments of Switzerland and Germany and the World Bank to carry out the study, which will be completed in 18 to 24 months.

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced Tuesday in Beijing that the study will focus on how to introduce a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in the country.

This will minimize the negative influence caused by the global climate change, said Liu Yanhua, director of the ministry's Department for Rural and Social Development.

CDM is a part of those programmes defined in the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UN framework became effective in March 1994 to control global warming which may harm economic development and people's lives.

The mechanism encourages industrialized countries to help developing nations eliminate the influence of greenhouse gas to sustain economic growth in harmony with environment.

China began to discuss the introduction of CDM in 1997 with the World Bank and the governments of Switzerland and Germany.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will do its best to ensure a cost-effective implementation of CDM in China, said Liu.

The World Bank will support China and other developing countries to work out national strategies and build capacity to help them approach sustainable development, said the bank's official Peter Kalas.

A special group - consisting of experts from Tsinghua University, the Energy Institute of the State Development Planning Commission, Renmin University and the State Power Corporation - has been set up to carry out the CDM feasibility study.

Lu Xuedu, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology, said his ministry plans to select some power plants and big cities to pilot the CDM project after the study is completed.

(China Daily November 28, 2001)