Low-carbon tech transfer at vortex of climate talks

18 years after first agreement, 'no material' progress has been made

CANCUN, Mexico - As more than 20 heads of states and 10,000 delegates from around the globe gather to discuss climate change, efforts to transfer and license low-carbon technologies are once again in the spotlight.

"Most low-carbon patents and know-how are in the hands of companies in developed economies, while developing countries want to secure low-priced or even free patents and technologies," Li Junfeng, vice-head of the National Development and Reform Commission's Energy Research Institute, told China Intellectual Property News.

"The conflict is one of the major impediments to the progress in negotiations," Li said.

Li noted that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change signed in 1992 made it clear that developed countries should promote, facilitate and sponsor use of eco-friendly patented technologies, especially in developing countries.

The effort was seen as a responsibility of developed countries due to their long history of massive greenhouse gas emissions.

Yet over the past 18 years, no "material progress" has been made, Li said, noting China's government has a resolute attitude in addressing the climate issue.

A national leadership group headed by Premier Wen Jiabao was founded in 2007 to tackle the issue.

The group's latest meeting in November noted that the reductions in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions should be a key indicator in the national economic development plan for the next five years.

At the same time, a series of laws and polices released over the past years all noted the importance of research and application of proprietary intellectual property in the face of climate change.

"Developing a low-carbon economy through saving energy and reducing emission is not only necessary to addressing the climate change, but also crucial for our country to shift to a more environmentally friendly development pattern," said Tian Lipu, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office.

Yet despite a boom in patent applications, China still lags behind developed countries in core technologies, Tian noted.

In six industries that have heavy emissions - power, transportation, construction, metallurgy, petrochemicals and cement - 63 technologies are indispensable for China to realize its environmental goals, according to Zou Ji, vice-president of Renmin University's School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Of the 62, China has yet to secure core patents on 42 essential technologies, Zou said.

Commissioner Tian encouraged Chinese companies to increase R&D investment and develop more proprietary patents for resource-efficient technologies.

A recent report on global low-carbon technology patents released by SIPO shows that applications grew rapidly since 1994 and began a sharp rise after 2004.

The momentum reflects that eco-friendly technologies have received broad attention and attracted influx of investment in recent years.

Patent filings in China are clustered around construction and energy efficient industry. The report found those filings account for 42 percent of the world's total.

China Daily

(China Daily 12/08/2010 page17)