FW: UNEP launches new Global Clean Energy Network at Johannesburg World Summit

["ronallarson@qwest.net" <ronallarson@qwest.net>]

Stovers:
I attended one meeting today where the followoing UNEP program was
discussed.  It is a relatively small program - but could be useful for
anyone living near one of the several research centers.  They announced an
intent to have dialogue with NGO groups - and I guess we qualify.  

There will be quite a few larger programs to go to.  Today I also heard
that the US government has added Indoor Air quality to the list of
activities it will be supporting overseas.  Just getting started so no
obvious place to make application

Ron

Original Message:
-----------------
From: James Sniffen sniffenj@un.org
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 12:19:43 -0400
To: 2002summit-l@lists.iisd.ca
Subject: UNEP launches new Global Clean Energy Network at Johannesburg
World Summit


<P><FONT SIZE=4>UNEP PRESS RELEASE</FONT><BR><BR><FONT SIZE=5>Putting
Energy into Sustainable Development - UNEP launches new Global<BR>Clean
Energy Network at Johannesburg World Summit</FONT><BR><BR><FONT SIZE=4>30
Years UNEP: Environment for Development: People, Planet,
Prosperity</FONT><BR><BR>JOHANNESBURG, 1 September 2002 -- The goal of
bringing new and less<BR>polluting energy sources to billions of deprived
people around the world<BR>came a step closer today as the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)<BR>launched a pioneering global network of
"sustainable energy" centres.<BR><BR>Speaking at the launch here at the
World Summit on Sustainable<BR>Development, Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive
Director, said: "The provision<BR>of environmentally sound energy services
are integral to poverty<BR>alleviation and sustainable
development."<BR><BR>"Over 2 billion people in developing countries do not
have access to<BR>reliable forms of energy", Mr. Toepfer said. "Nine out of
ten Africans have no access to electricity", he continued. "Providing clean
energy on a<BR>sustainable basis is not only vital for fighting
environmental issues like<BR>global warming but for reducing poverty and
misery in Africa and parts of<BR>Asia and Latin America."<BR><BR>Access to
affordable, modern energy services is increasingly seen as
a<BR>prerequisite for sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
Access<BR>to energy is a condition for achieving the UN's Millennium
Development<BR>Goals including the goal to halve the proportion of people
in poverty by<BR>2015 that is at the heart of the Johannesburg
debate.<BR><BR>For one-third of the world's population, dependence on
traditional fuels<BR>results in many hours spent each day gathering wood,
animal and crop waste.<BR>Moreover, limited access to adequate and
appropriate energy, including<BR>electricity means that value-adding
income-generating activities<BR>are constrained.<BR><BR>The consequences
for the environment of present energy production and<BR>consumption
patterns are also significant. For example, in developing<BR>countries, the
widespread use of traditional fuels for indoor cooking and<BR>heating
results in serious respiratory diseases and loss of life related
to<BR>indoor air pollution, as well as a contribution to
deforestation,<BR>particularly in arid and semi-arid areas.<BR><BR>Air
pollution in developing countries is one of the four most
critical<BR>global environmental problems. Such pollution causes an
estimated 2 million excess deaths per year, or 5 percent of the global
burden of<BR>disease.<BR><BR>At the global level, emissions of greenhouse
gases, which mostly<BR>originate from the use of fossil fuels (presently 80
percent of the<BR>world's primary energy comes from fossil fuels), will
have to be reduced in<BR>order to combat global warming. Solving the
climate change challenge means<BR>reducing global dependence on fossil
fuels.<BR><BR>The new Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development
(GNESD),<BR>made up initially of 10 centres in 10 developed and developing
countries,<BR>will help promote the research, transfer and take-up of green
and cleaner<BR>energy technologies to the developing world.<BR><BR>It will
achieve this by strengthening collaboration between existing<BR>"centres of
excellence" that work on energy, development and environment<BR>issues.
And, through these centres, influence sustainable energy
policies,<BR>strategies and programmes.<BR><BR>"The underlying rationale of
the Network is that it increases the<BR>capacity of developing country
research institutions to look at energy for<BR>sustainable development
issues", says Mark Radka, head of UNEP's Energy<BR>Unit. "Furthermore, it
creates a shared research and information base on<BR>policy and technical
guidance, advice and information."<BR><BR>"Critically, the Network will
help all partners to develop and apply<BR>policies suitable to the needs
and constraints of developing countries,<BR>thus supporting the use of
energy as an instrument for poverty alleviation<BR>and sustainable
development", he said.<BR><BR>Promising advances in energy-related
technology hold a great potential<BR>for sustainable development,
particularly regarding renewable energy and<BR>energy efficiency.<BR><BR>A
number of technology options (energy from wind, "new" biomass,
solar,<BR>geothermal sources) have been advanced to a state of technical
reliability,<BR>and technological developments continue to reduce costs.
The challenge<BR>remains to introduce or scale up the application of
sustainable energy<BR>services. Similarly, policy and regulatory challenges
remain if these are<BR>to become commercially viable options and able to
compete with conventional<BR>and environmentally harmful energy options
that typically benefit from<BR>favourable pricing conditions and perverse
policy incentives.<BR><BR>"Technological solutions to energy problems are
available today. We now<BR>need the political will and action to implement
them", Mr. Toepfer said.<BR><BR>"The choices humankind makes on energy in
the next decade will largely<BR>determine the history of the 21st century,
and in particular whether we are<BR>able to put ourselves securely on the
path to sustainable development," he<BR>said.<BR><BR>Note to
Journalists<BR>The Network was launched today at a press conference with
Mr. Toepfer, Tim<BR>Wirth, President of the UN Foundation, and Ministers
from Denmark, France Germany, and the UK in the Sandton Media
Centre.<BR><BR>For more information, please contact: Nick Nuttall, UNEP's
Head of Media (in<BR>Johannesburg) on mobile: +27 11 (0) 72 533 8239,
email:<BR>nick.nuttall@unep.org, or Robert Bisset, UNEP Press Officer (in
Paris) on<BR>Tel +33-1-4437-7613, mobile: +33-6-2272-5842, email:
robert.bisset@unep.fr<BR><BR>Note to Editors<BR>The Global Network on
Energy for Sustainable Development (GNESD) is a<BR>partnership, and has
been submitted to the World Summit on Sustainable<BR>Development for
recognition as a "Type Two" outcome.<BR><BR>UNEP will host a small
secretariat for the Network. A Steering Committee<BR>representing the
energy centres as well as the other Network partners will<BR>provide
strategic direction.<BR><BR>The creation of GNESD is in line with the G8
Renewable Energy Task Force<BR>Report (2001) which recommended that its
member countries "expand support<BR>for assistance programmes and networks
for capacity building" to help<BR>promote the policy shift towards
sustainable energy solutions.<BR><BR>Core partners in the Network are
outstanding energy centres in<BR>industrialised and developing countries
with proven experience and success<BR>in advancing knowledge and policies
on various energy issues. The list of<BR>energy centres includes, for
example, the Tata Energy Reseach Institute<BR>(TERI) in India, the African
Energy Policy Research Network (Kenya), the<BR>Bariloche Foundation
(Argentina), ENDA Tiers Monde (Senegal), and the<BR>Energy Research and
Development Centre (EDRC) in South Africa.<BR><BR>The energy centres are
joined in the Network by international<BR>organisations, Governments,
financial institutions, private sector<BR>representatives, foundations and
other parties who share the goal of<BR>promoting energy for sustainable
development.<BR><BR>The idea of the Network was developed by UNEP in
cooperation with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Department for Economic and Social
Affairs (UN/DESA) and The World Bank, drawing on proposals and inputs from
the<BR>energy centres themselves. Initial funding partners are the
Governments of<BR>Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Denmark, along
with the UN Foundation.<BR><BR>For more information:<BR>Mark Radka, Energy
Programme Coordinator, UNEP Paris<BR>Tel: +33144371427 Fax:
+33144371474<BR>E-mail: mark.radka@unep.fr,
www.uneptie.org/energy<BR>or<BR>Mr. Eric Falt, UNEP
Spokesperson\Director,<BR>Division of Communications and Public
Information,<BR>in Nairobi on tel: (254-2) 623292, email:
Eric.Falt@unep.org,<BR><BR>UNEP News Release 2002/60</P>
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