CRT/N (Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal), one of Nexus member organization, publishes the 17 issue of CRT/N E-news. The current January 2012 e-news covers project technology, project feature, gender mainstreaming in energy, project updates, and other activities. For more detail here

The BIRU (Biogas Rumah) Programme, implemented by Hivos and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) of the Republic of Indonesia, has celebrated the construction of its 4,000th biogas digester.

More information here:

• Deputy Director of China’s NDRC Talks with US Organizations on Climate Change
• Energy and Climate Change Program: US-China Track II Dialogue on Climate Change, EU-China Civil Society Dialogue, Workshop on US-China Subnational Low Carbon Planning Methodology, MoU on U.S.-China Subnational Low Carbon Development Planning Methodolog, etc.
• Environmental Governance Program: Printing of Biogas Handbook, Community-driven Conservation for Sustainable Use of China’s Grassland Resources, etc.
• Sustainable Rural Development Program: Biomass Stove Commercialization Demonstration Project Launched, etc.

Read the newsletter here:

Also, there is a program report on GEI’s website about Rural Energy Consumption and its impacts on Climate Change (2011-09). Full report here:

Global Environmental Institute, a member of Nexus, is a Chinese non-profit NGO that was established in Beijing, China in 2004, with 17 staffs now. Its mission is to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable.

Nexus sent 4 person on site. The delegation was led by its Chairman Priya Karve from organization ARTI.

PRESS COVERAGE

Priya Karve covered the events for the Ashden awards. Her contribution can be found here: Decentralised energy is equitable and pro-poor - opinion back from Durban

Nexus team was interviewed by Climate Change T.V

William Theisen, Consultant, Nexus-Carbon for Development

Raphaele Deau, Director of Partnerships and Communications, Nexus-Carbon for Development

Nexus was also invited to contribute to AlertNet dispatches from Durban blog.

SIDE EVENTS

Nexus and Yale University co-organized a side event about the theme: “Financing Clean Energy for Rural Populations: Bridging climate finance with field realities”.

The session was facilitated by Jiwan Acharya from the Asian Development Bank, who introduced the session by setting the context: the Clean Development Mechanism has shown limits to the extent of which it can support clean rural energy projects. As new finance mechanisms are emerging, it is crucial to look at how CDM has performed, and draw recommendations for future climate funding. Jiwan Acharya invited three speakers to present their thoughts.

François-Xavier Duporge, Secretary General of the French Global Environment Facility, presented case studies and lessons learnt from projects that receive FGEF support, such as the Rural Carbon project in China.

According to Priya Karve, Nexus Chairman, two main challenges are emerging for development practitioners. The first one is linked to the definition of pro-poor interventions: are they limited to LDCs? How could we quantify their additional value and ensure a fair price for carbon credits emerging from these projects? The second challenge is to coordinate top down approaches (such as funding from multilateral agencies) and bottom up initiatives (such as Nexus, an alliance of development practitioners) to maximize impacts of funding on the field.

Jasmine Hyman, from Yale University, highlighted the importance of increasing the transparency in the way finance mechanisms reache target populations.

GERES, in partnership with Nexus organized a breakfast workshop to present a few tool for project developers. This tool supports them to assess the opportunities of CDM funding for small scale clean technologies.

For an analysis of the outcome of COP17, we invited you to read the following articles:

• IISD Reporting Services: summary of the meeting.

• Analysis from the Climate Group.

The WBT will have to comply with the Voluntary Gold Standard methodology "Technologies and Practices to Displace Decentralized Thermal energy Consumption – version 1" for water filter technology.

For more information, please download the pdf.

Deadline : Monday 23rd January 2012 at 10am (BKK time)

Newsletter - November 2011

Updates from Nexus members: Hydrologic, CRT/N and GEI

Hydrologic Social Enterprise: Ceramic Water Purifier project is officially listed on the Gold Standard registry which is an important step for Hydrologic to access carbon markets. Hydrologic is manufacturing and distributing Ceramic Water Purifiers, a low cost alternative to boiling water that provides both monetary and health benefits for users in addition to reduce burden on environment. The project is currently under validation.

Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal: Paulo Lopes, Nexus Carbon Finance Officer, went to Nepal to visit CRT/N. The objective of the trip was to complete a pre-feasibility study for CRT/N cookstove project and to examine conditions on the field as well as financial feasibility of the project. The mission included a visit to Chitwan in Southern Nepal to collect field information and complete the assessment. More news of the project development will be shared to you in the next newsletter.

Global Environmental Institute (GEI): Paulo Lopes from Nexus went to China to visit GEI, and most particularly a project located in a farming area where a large part of the population generates income by selling fruits from their lands, in Ruicheng, China. The objective of the trip was to complete a pre-feasibility study on the project which aims to displace the use of coal for heating by disseminating heating stoves that can use renewable biomass such as branches and wood waste from farms. We’ll have more development on that project in the next newsletter.

Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development membership application approved by Nexus board

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam successfully completed the first step of its application to become a member of Nexus alliance, a membership that would add the first government institution to the members list so far comprised of eco-businesses and NGOs. The membership now has to be officially ratified by Nexus members during the next General Assembly.

The Livestock Production Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam is currently working together with Nexus and development organization SNV on their Biogas Program for Animal Husbandry Sector of Vietnam. Project is under validation stage at the moment and is undergoing stakeholder consultations. The field visit validation took place from the 14th-17th October. Initial feedback from the auditors has been positive so we are expecting the project to be registered in early 2012. Following registration we will begin verification with the first credits expected in mid 2012. More information about the project here.

Nexus signed MoU with the Cambodian Ministry of Environment

In October 2011, Nexus and the Ministry of Environment of the Royal Government of Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing their cooperation over the next 3 years to facilitate access to climate finance (including carbon finance) for projects that have real and tangible benefits for the people of Cambodia; and to establish a fair and transparent framework for climate finance (including carbon finance) interventions in Cambodia.

Activities planned include capacity building and technical assistance, support to the development and implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy Plan, identification, design and implementation of GHG reduction activities and related frameworks. As a first point of action, H.E. Dr Mok Mareth, Minister of Environment himself, participated in the round table co-organized by Nexus and IETA, on the occasion of the Carbon Forum Asia 2012, in Singapore.

Participation in events

Nexus participates in Norwegian led initiative Energy+

Following Nexus’s work around the issue of financing low-carbon technologies projects for the poorest populations, Marion Verles, Nexus Executive Director, was invited to bring input to the Energy+ initiative. She participated in a technical working group hosted by conservation NGO WWF in Washington D.C. on November.
Energy + is an initiative launched by the Norwegian government to contribute and provide access to efficient energy services to all by increased development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and to mitigate energy’s impacts on climate. Energy+ will also contribute to giving input to the international climate change negotiations. More information about Energy+ here.

Financing access to clean energy in LDCs & CDM: roundtable co-organized by Nexus during Carbon Forum Asia

Nexus and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) co-organized a roundtable at Carbon Forum Asia in Singapore on 3 November 2011. The session, entitled “Financing Access to Clean Energy in LDCs - Is CDM Still Appropriate?”, was moderated by Raphaele Deau from Nexus.

Panelists included H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth (Cambodian Minister of Environment), Eva Oberender (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership – REEEP), Birgit Haberl (Asian Development Bank), and Jenny Peetermans (IETA). Raphaele Deau from Nexus introduced the session by setting the context: energy access is a key challenge for LDCs, and is central to poverty reduction and sustainable development. If technologies appropriate to the needs of the people exist, they lack appropriate financing. Therefore developing low carbon projects that would give energy for all has a cost which would translate into a fair price for carbon credits. Read more

Singapore Compact CSR Summit

As part of Nexus’ efforts to raise awareness of the Singapore private sector about the necessity to restore climate fairness within carbon finance, Nexus participated in a roundtable discussion at the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit on a topic entitled “Role of Business in Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change”, on 5 September 2011. Speakers included Dr. Louis Lebel from the Unit for Social and Environmental Research in Chiang Mai, Ms. Raphaele Deau from Nexus, and Roopa Rakshit, from AIT-UNEP. Discussions took place about the impact of climate change on business operations, and about the challenges and opportunities for business to tackle climate change and deliver sustainable development to vulnerable populations in LDCs.

CSR Asia Summit

Nexus participated in the CSR Asia Summit, the annual flagship event of CSR Asia, held from September 27th-28th 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Recognizing that economic growth from now to the end of the 21st century will come from Asia, the CSR Asia Summit was themed “Asian Growth: Global Responsibility”. It also emphasized the need for businesses in Asia to make CSR initiatives a strategic business opportunity. The CSR Asia Summit connected Nexus with other thought leaders from businesses, governments, CSR practitioners, and NGOs to discuss topics around sustainable supply chains, socially responsible investments and climate change in the region.

Announcements

CDM Watch: Nexus also joins CDM Watch network. CDM Watch is an NGO which collaborates with civil society and local communities in CDM host countries that are directly affected by CDM projects. More information here.

Nexus activities in COP17: Nexus team will be present at UNFCCC COP17, in Durban, South Africa, next December, with the aim of raising awareness about the challenges encountered by project developers to fund low carbon technologies for the most vulnerable populations. Nexus will organize a side event within Durban Exhibition Center on December 7, at 8:15PM, around the issue of financing clean energy for rural populations. For more information about our programme here.

Nexus welcomes two new staffs

Marlene Mollet, Finance and Administrative Manager, is a graduate in Economics & Business Administration and Finance & Accounting Management. Marlene previously assumed business and finance analyst roles across European organizations.

Sokunthea Him, Communication Assistant, is graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages and from the Department of Media and Communication at Royal University of Phnom Penh. She previously worked at Economic Today Magazine, United Nation Resident Coordinator and UNDP.

Nexus-Carbon for Development is an alliance of pro-poor project developers whose shared vision is that the carbon market should serve both climate change and poverty alleviation in a sustainable way. As a global alliance of social ventures, Nexus acts as a peer-to-peer carbon services platform, providing awareness raising, capacity building, carbon project development, and carbon asset management. Nexus builds on its members’ expertise to create synergies, streamline procedures and share risks, reducing transaction costs and time to market. www.nexus-c4d.org

Thida is not aware that heads of states are regularly meeting to negotiate the future of our climate. What she fears though is the destructive effect that future floods may have on her livelihood. Record floods have been hitting Cambodia since early August – affecting 18 out of the 24 provinces and destroying many lives and infrastructures. The United Nations in Cambodia released that 423,449 hectares of rice fields have been hit, over 1.64 million persons affected, 51,594 households evacuated, and 247 persons killed.

In Thida’s village, water is a challenge. “Most of my neighbors usually get water directly from the pond; they drink it without filtering it. Their kids are often sick and miss school”, she said, pointing at the pond. Nearly 40 percent of rural Cambodians still have no access to safe drinking water, UNICEF estimates. The consequence of this is a high rate of diarrhea and other water-borne diseases among the Cambodian people, especially children.

Thida used to boil water for her family. Following advice from one of her sisters, she recently purchased a Tunsai ceramic water purifier—Tunsai is a brand name meaning “rabbit” in the Khmer language—manufactured by Cambodian social business Hydrologic. “I no longer have to spend time gathering so much wood to boil water because I have a Tunsai”, she said.

Thida cares about her family’s health. She doesn’t know that she’s also taking part in the fight against climate change. The ceramic water purifier not only provides clean water, it also helps reducing greenhouse gases emissions by decreasing the amount of fuel burnt to boil water. Since wood provides more than 80% of people’s energy needs in Cambodia, the product also contributes to forest conservation.

The water filter has many other benefits. Burning less wood decreases toxic emissions in the household, thus improving the indoor air quality. Poor families spend less time gathering wood – time that can then be dedicated to education and income generating activities. It also helps families to save money on fuel and medicines.

Hydrologic Social Enterprise, the producer of Tunsai water filters, believes that business is a powerful way to get clean water for as many people as possible. They have established a water filter supply chain, production facility, and sales force. The project is not only about providing water filters, but also about creating jobs and growing the economy.

Hydrologic realized that thanks to its environmental benefits, the project could potentially access a relatively new source of income: carbon finance.

Carbon finance emerged when the Kyoto Protocol came in force in 2005. A flexible mechanism was introduced to allow industrialized countries to invest in “carbon projects” in developing countries. This is done by purchasing carbon credits generated by these projects. In parallel, a voluntary market emerged for organizations, companies and individuals that were not restricted by a Kyoto target, but still wanted to buy carbon credits to compensate for their own emissions.

Hydrologic decided to register its project on the voluntary market and to follow the Gold Standard, a label which is known for the quality of its criteria for validating, measuring and monitoring carbon projects. Hydrologic project is now officially listed on the Gold Standard registry. The project is currently under validation, and is looking forward to the issuance of its first carbon credits.

Sokunthea Him, Cambodia

Financing clean energy for poor populations
Durban, South Africa 2-9 December 2011

Nexus team will be present at UNFCCC COP17, in Durban, South Africa, next December, with the aim of raising awareness about the challenges encountered by project developers to fund low carbon technologies for the most vulnerable populations.

Side event: Financing Clean Energy for Rural Populations: Bridging climate finance with field realities

--Event co-organized with Yale University--
The Clean Development Mechanism has shown limits to the extent of which it can support clean rural energy projects. As new finance mechanisms are emerging, it is crucial to look at how CDM has performed, and draw recommendations for future climate funding. What are the successes and failures of climate finance and carbon finance? How can we match donors’ requirements, investors’ expectations and pro‐poor low carbon projects needs? Download event invitation here.
Including speakers from the Asian Development Bank, Yale University, French Global Environment Facility, and Nexus-Carbon for Development.

• Where? Durban Exhibition Centre, Indwe River room
• When? Wednesday, 7 December, 20:15-21:45

Breakfast workshop: Assessing opportunities of CDM funding for small scale clean technologies: presentation of a new tool for project developers - a GERES event in partnership with Nexus

The CDM has shown limits to the extent of which it can support a massive deployment of clean technologies for the poorest populations. GERES, in partnership with Nexus-Carbon for Development and Global Environmental Institute, developed a tool to help project developers to assess the pre-feasibility of small scale CDM projects. More information here.

• Where? South Africa Climate Change Response Expo Umnegeni Room
• When? Wednesday, 7 December, 09:00-11:30

Exhibit: Nexus-Carbon for Development: Financing clean energy for poor populations

Nexus-Carbon for Development is an alliance of pro-poor project developers whose shared vision is that the carbon market should tackle both climate change and poverty in a fair and transparent way. Learn more about our organization by visiting our exhibit.

• Where? Durban Exhibition Centre
• When? From 5 to 9 December

More information: Marion Santini - m.santini@nexus-c4d.org | http://www.nexus-c4d.org

Panelists included H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth (Cambodian Minister of Environment), Eva Oberender (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership – REEEP), Birgit Haberl (Asian Development Bank), and Jenny Peetermans (IETA).

Raphaele Deau from Nexus introduced the session by setting the context: energy access is a key challenge for LDCs,and is central to poverty reduction and sustainable development. If technologies appropriate to the needs of the peopleexist, they lack appropriate financing. Therefore developing low carbon projects that would give energy for all has a cost which would translate into a fair price for carbon credits.

H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth, Cambodian Minister of Environment, emphasized the need for projects that tackle both the issues of climate change and poverty. Birgit Haberl from ADB stressed that money and time investments to access CDM are often too high compared to the size of projects in LDCs. That’s why Cambodia is advocating for a reduced registration fee for CDM projects in LDCs, added H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth.

According to Nexus’ Ms. Deau, the main shortcoming of CDM is that economic and social benefitsof projects – such as reduced indoor air pollution for poorer households - are not measurable. For example, a project in Kiribati allowed villager to install solar panels which were then bartered with goods. REEEP experienced some challenges to access carbon finance, and thinks that registering CDM projects in LDCs continues to be challenging.

Raphaele Deau showed how Nexus, as a cooperative of pro-poor low carbon project developers, works on facilitating access to climate finance for its members. Jenny Peetermans from IETA, brought the private sector perspective. She highlighted the need to build on existing mechanisms, when there is still uncertainty around the future of carbon financing.

More information about Carbon Forum Asia here.