East Asia Science and Security Cooperative Network Report, Aug. 30, 2006
- PRC Energy Supply
While preparing for a visit from Chinese President Hu Jintao, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced his plan to increase oil sales to China to half a million barrels per day within five years. Venezuela is seeking to reduce its reliance on the United States for oil sales, while China is looking to diversify its supply sources beyond the Middle East.
Chavez Unveils China Oil Plan
Åshild Kolås & Stein Tønnesson of the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) note that offshore natural gas is now the major source of income for the Burmese military regime. Given China’s hunger for energy supplies, any attempt to deal with the Burmese regime will require working with Beijing.
Burma and Her Neighbors: The Geopolitics of Gas
2. Japan Energy Supply
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in one of his last trips in office, set off for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to seek energy supply agreements. On the first day of his trip, he discussed nuclear cooperation with Kazakhstan.
Koizumi wants closer nuclear energy cooperation with Kazakhstan
Koizumi off to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan on energy quest
APEC published the 2006 Energy Supply and Demand Outlook for Japan. Japanese energy output is expected to grow at an annual rate of 0.5%, with oil dependence decreasing from 50 percent to 42 percent by 2030. Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to be about 10% higher than the Kyoto targets.
APEC Energy Demand and Supply Outlook 2006: Japan
3. Regional Energy Cooperation
China and South Korea signed an agreement to cooperate on a broad range of energy issues, including oil reserves, electricity, gas and renewable energy. South Korea meanwhile also signed an agreement with Japan on nuclear cooperation, although details were not disclosed.
S. Korea, China to Pursue Energy Cooperation
S.Korea, Japan to boost cooperation in atomic energy
4. Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Matthew Bunn, Director of the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard University, argues that for the near future, dry cask storage is a better, safer, and cheaper option for dealing with spent nuclear fuel than recylcing or reprocessing.
Of Near-Term Processing and Alternatives
5. Emissions Reduction
The National Emissions Trading Task Force of Australia published a discussion paper on a possible national emissions trading scheme.
Possible Design for a National Emissions Trading Scheme
The ROK Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) announced that it would give financial incentives to companies that voluntarily cut down on global warming gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
Inventives Offered for Greenhouse Gas Cut
6. PRC Energy Savings
China seems unlikely to meet its goal of reducing energy consumption by 4 percent per unit of GDP this year, as consumption rose 0.8 percent in the first half.
China Energy Saving Target May Fail
7. Bird Flu Tracking
Leading scientists have created a Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) to encourage scientists and nations to share data rapidly with other scientists worldwide. The initiative was created because current methods of sharing data through the World Health Organization were deeemed inadequate to deal with the magnitude of the threat from avian influenza.
Bird flu database to be established
Researchers in Taiwan analyzed the genes of more than 400 A- type flu viruses and found that about 52 key genetic changes distinguish avian influenza strains from those that spread easily among people. The analysis will help scientists trace the mechanism for infection and how the viruses replicate in different species, according to a report appearing in the September edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Scientists Move Closer to Understanding Flu Virus Evolution
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