Florian Kitt's blog

Ok. We are back again @ Carbon Expo. This year in Cologne. The German weather cannot really keep up with Barcelona (were Carbon Expo was held in 2009) but we are keeping the spirits up and the opening event proved to be very interesting with a speech by the German Environment Minister, Norbert Roettgen.

On his round across the fairground the Minister then visited the China booth and the East Asia Pavilion, where Thailand, Mongolia, Lao, and Indonesia and China are exhibiting. Jiao Xiaoping, Deputy Director General, CDM Fund, China, welcomed the Minister and presented him with the latest report on "Clean Development Mechanism in China". We'll soon have it up here.

Editor's note: This post is part of Blog Action Day on climate change. For more information, visit blogactionday.org.

Apologies for having been out of touch since Carbon Expo. I needed a break, and summer in Croatia proved one can have a life beyond international development and carbon finance. Climate change, however, very much stayed on my mind with reports of wildfires in the United States and Greece. Clearly, one cannot escape all-encompassing global change, in particular when negotiations have now started in earnest on a post-2012 treaty to reduce carbon emissions and provide financing for developing countries.

Some still think that climate change is just a buzz topic and will quietly disappear from global attention. Let me assure you that many people in East Asian and Pacific countries would disagree. They are hit by natural disasters, which in recent years not only steadily increased in frequency, but also in intensity.

Students in Africa study with an LED lantern.

Back in Washington, D.C., the weather fortunately is nearly as nice as in Spain, but the lifestyle is something I have to get used to again every time I come back from Europe. This is also the case in terms of greenhouse gas emissions! As A German, I’ll never understand the focus on air conditioning in every building and the need to cool it down until one freezes, especially in summer. Guess I’m just one of the “some like it hot”-and-sunshine group. Barcelona wonderfully confirmed my view of Europe as being a bit less concerned with temperature – the airport was hot and sticky, and no conditioned air to be spotted. Probably just a temporary failure, but upon arrival it was a stark contrast to the chilly Washington (D.C.) Dulles International Airport.

Now air conditioning systems are not the only home, office and public building application that use a lot of energy and hence cause emissions that change the climate and balance of our planet. Lighting, this super important thing for any activity when the sun is not shining, also consumes a lot of energy.

Display at Carbon Expo in Barcelona.

It was my best intention to write my blog posts in a somewhat chronological way, but events, as they often do, just surpassed me. FC Barcelona’s convincing and clear 2-0 win against Manchester United in the Champions League final yesterday completely overshadowed Carbon Expo this morning. Some participants clearly showed signs of having joined the many street parties that lasted until the early morning and the game dominated discussions on the morning of the expo’s second day. Join me in a quick O le le, Oh la la, Barca!!

But back to business. Yesterday the Carbon Expo truly started only in the afternoon and after the plenary sessions. Carbon Expo truly is a marketplace where participants are looking for financing, projects, and jobs. Discussions become very specific, and companies and intermediaries show great interest in the World Bank’s expertise and knowledge on developing countries. Networking is a must and that includes going from stand to stand to grab information and presents, talk to possible business partners or join one of the multiple “have a drink, a bite, and talk to us” receptions.

Pongtip Puvacharoen works at the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific stand on the first day of Carbon Expo in Barcelona.

As promised, here's my first update from Barcelona and the CarbonExpo. Today is the first official day of the Expo, and my colleague from Bangkok, Pongtip Puvacharoen, and I basically just finished helping the World Bank's East Asian clients – China, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Thailand – set up the East Asia and Pacific Pavilion.

This year's CarbonExpo focuses on the efforts of cities to increase their sustainability by introducing clean transport, improve air quality, increase the production of renewable energy, and improve energy efficiency. I do love living in cities, in particular "megacities" of over 8 million inhabitants. But I am also a big fan of trees, green spots in between the concrete, and a fresh breeze – some things I sometimes miss in the U.S. and in East Asian metropolises.

This is why I really thought it important that Jakarta (Indonesia), Tianjin (China), and Bangkok (Thailand), participated in the Symposium on Cities, Climate Change, and Finance, co-organized by the World Bank, the Spanish government, and the City of Barcelona. After all cleaner, greener, and more livable cities are good for all of a city's inhabitants, rich and poor, and help improve living standards and the health of its people.

Carbon finance sounds boring and technical and not much fun. However, it actually does a lot of good and can help fund critical environmental preservation projects as well as introduce clean and renewable technologies in both developed and developing countries. I am not a carbon specialist but at present involved in organizing the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Region's participation in next week's Carbon Expo, a global trade fair for CO₂ market participants. Doesn't really sound like a lot fun? Indeed, it's a lot of work.