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The Co-Chair was elected through a secret ballot |
Regarding
the secret ballot,
Nigeria, speaking for the G-77/China, said that political issues
should not intrude in an expert process. Stressing that nomination
of candidates should be settled within regional groups, he said
the voting should not set a precedent for future meetings.
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World Energy Assessment Report
Professor
Jose Goldemberg, WEA Editorial Board, outlined the elements of
the Assessment: why the present energy system is not sustainable;
the need for a paradigm shift to sustainability; available solutions;
future scenarios; issues and options; and current work. He compared
the energy production and consumption profiles of the developed and
developing countries, noting that consumption in industrialized countries
is 5 tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) per capita as compared with 0.85
TOE per capita in developing countries. He underlined the importance
of: policy making, a framework for the continuation of market reforms,
setting accurate price signals, removal of subsidies to fossil fuel
energy, removing obstacles to the use of new technologies, and supporting
technological leadership and capacity building in developing countries.
For more information, visit www.undp.org/seed/eap/activities/wea
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Jose
Goldemberg with Co-Chair Irene
Freudenschuss-Reichl (left) and Kimo Goree, ENB Managing Editor
(right)
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Norway
noted the role of the Dialogue Process between energy producing
and consuming countries and called on CSD-9 to: improve understanding
on sustainable energy development; build on the work of the OECD
and IEA; and identify appropriate options, focussing on renewable
energy sources and energy efficiency policies and technologies.
The FAO underlined the vital role of energy in agricultural production
and food security.
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Panel Discussion
on global energy trends, financing, investments,
sustainable energy and sustainable development
Left to
right: Kristi Varangu, International Energy Agency, Alan Miller, Global
Environment Facililty,Expert Group Co-Chairs Salamat and Freudenschuss-Reichl,
Tomas Johannsen,UNDP, Mark Radka, UNEP, and Alipour Jeddi, OPEC |
Kristi
Varangu, IEA, presented an alternative "Kyoto case" scenario,
and noted the potential benefits associated with energy efficiency,
clean coal, and Kyoto Protocol instruments such as the Clean Development
Mechanism, joint implementation and emissions trading. She highlighted
the potential benefits of removing energy subsidies, noting the
findings of a study of eight countries, which suggest that the removal
of subsidies would result in a 13% reduction in energy consumption,
a 1% increase in GDP and a 16% decrease in CO2 emissions. Noting
that current trends are not heading in the right direction, she
underlined the political constraints in introducing effective policies.
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Thomas
Johansson, UNDP (left), supported the WEA and UNDP analyses on
possible energy futures based on increased efficiency, renewable energy
and new technologies, and underlined the need for government intervention.
He said effective policies for energy efficiency have important national
and global benefits, and emphasized the need for capacity building
in all countries. He supported the call for a reduction in energy
subsidies, and noted the potential for developing countries to "leap
frog" the technological mistakes of developed countries. |
Mark
Radka, UNEP (above right), outlined the environmental consequences
that track energy trends, drawing on UNEP's Global Environment Outlook
2000. He said that an analysis of energy-related environmental trends
demonstrated that the continued poverty of the majority of the earth's
inhabitants and excessive consumption by the minority are the two
major causes of environmental degradation. |
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Alipour
Jeddi, OPEC, noted that projections using the OPEC World Energy
Model show continued increases in worldwide energy demand with increases
across all fuel types. Regarding the Kyoto Protocol, he said that
arguments that OPEC can avoid revenue losses by sustaining higher
oil prices are not feasible, adding that revenue losses for OPEC
countries are likely to be high.
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Alan
Miller, GEF, presented an overview of GEF activities related to
climate and energy. Recognizing the growing demand for capacity building
as an element of GEF financing and the need for a wider range of partners,
he said that the GEF was in the process of developing a capacity-building
project with UNDP to review climate and biodiversity related needs
and was expanding relationships with regional banks. The GEF was also
facilitating NGO access to resources through medium size grants. |
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