Asian Development Bank Drops "Clean Coal"

A small, but symbolic victory against the Clean Coal marketing efforts.

Last week at the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) annual Asia Clean Energy Forum the ADB passed a motion to drop the use of the term "clean coal." [1]

At the event, ADB Vice President Bindu Lohani proclaimed:

“Let us stop using clean coal or cleaner coal and just call it what it is - more efficient coal.”

While it great to see an organization as large and influential as the ADB admitting that the term "clean coal" incorrectly describes the dirtiest energy source in the world it is little more than a symbolic step with little in realworld ramifications.

As Renato Redentor Constantino, Executive Director, of the NGO Forum on ADB [2] writes on the Bangla Praxis blog: [3]

"Unfortunately, however important the step, correctionary labeling is all that the ADB’s ACEF [4] has done thus far. Since 2006, three ACEF annual events have by now come and gone and none of the events, whether singly or cumulatively, have made developing Asia feel more secure or safe against the anticipated consequences of blind, fossil-fueled economic growth."

Links:
[1] http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/06102008/opinion01.html
[2] http://www.forum-adb.org/Press Releases/20080609.htm
[3] http://banglapraxis.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/what-the-adb-needs-to-do-to-keep-its-asia-clean-energy-forum-clean/
[4] http://www.adb.org/Documents/events/2008/ACEF/default.asp

A small, but symbolic victory against the Clean Coal marketing efforts.

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