The trade in carbon-emission credits, seen by some experts as a key to combating global warming, will be on the Cabinet's agenda this week.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry will submit a proposal to the Cabinet to establish the Greenhouse Gases Administration Organisation (GGAO), which will promote the carbon-trading business here.

Under the proposal, a copy of which has been obtained by The Nation, the organisation will broker greenhouse-gas emission trading, mainly carbon credits.

It will maintain a database of carbon-emission credits secured by industry in this country.

Carbon trading is a key market mechanism for tackling global warming under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

It places economic value on carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas, then creates a market in which to buy and sell the right to emit greenhouse gases.

Developed countries are looking to developing countries to buy rights to emit greenhouse gases.

Thailand has seven CDM projects with developed countries, mostly in Europe, according to ministry deputy permanent secretary Chatri Chuayprasit.

The idea of a GGAO was initiated and approved in principle last year by the administration of deposed premier Thaksin Shina-watra.

However, a member of the nation's subcommittee on climate change opposed it.

Sitanond Jessadapipat said it was too early for the country to have a special organisation dealing in carbon trading. "We need a national authority on climate change as a whole, not just one to focus on CDM," he said.

Sitanond wants any new organisation to have greater scope, namely to monitor and research climate change and its impact on the country, and be responsible for its mitigation.

Carbon trading is just one part of climate-change mitigation, he said. "The problem is we don't even yet know the big picture of climate change, so how can we have a special unit to tackle just part of the problem," he said.

Piyanart Srivalo

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation