Cercle mondial du consensus, World Circle of the Consensus, Weltkreis des Konsens

World Sustainable Energy Coalition

International NGO in Consultative Status with the Economic & Social Council of the United Nations

 

 

Bali, Indonesia, 2002-05-30

After somewhat pessimistic comments from the press and NGO Newsletters and very critical remarks about anti-progress lobbying by the USA and the G77 in the first week of the final Minister-Level Preparatory Committee Meeting prior to the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, a real breakthrough is in sight ¡­¡­..

The subject of heated disputes and maneuvering behind closed doors is ENERGY. It is no secret that energy was suppressed at the UNCED Conference in Rio already ten years ago, because multinational players did not want to admit that the present energy economy with its disastrous fossil fuel emissions is one of the main causes of most environmental, health, contamination, trade balance and peace problems in the world.

The warning voice of the spokesman of the World Sustainable Coalition, Gustav Grob, at the last session of the multi-stakeholder's dialogue on Wednesday set a whole process in motion, to re-examine the energy subject in its entirety. After very tough negotiations in the governmental contact group on energy during several days and long night sessions about the semantics of an energy section in the somewhat misleading "Poverty Eradication" Chapter, which was suddenly aborted on Thursday night under "political" pressure, a sign of relieve appeared. Most delegates started to recognize that a world-wide renewable energy market share increase of minimum 20 % per decade is indispensable if the world wants to get ready for the inevitable clean energy age.

On the basis of the 20 % total renewable energy share in the year 2000, with 20 % growth per decade, only 50 % of the total energy consumption will be covered by 2050, while total depletion of oil and gas reserves is foreseen by realistic forecasters within the same time span. Even large oil producers admit now this scenario and start investing in clean renewable energy, hydrogen fuel production and petrochemicals. The latter desperately need the remaining fossil resources in the Earth for hundreds of years to come. However, market dynamics and new clean energy technologies must and will accelerate this process to reach a share of much more than 50 % by mid 21st Century.

Some members states of the G77 threatened to leave this reactonary coalition if OPEC would continue to monopolize the energy question with their fatal business-as-usual policy. Brazil was unfairly stopped by G77 to present their progressive energy proposal in Bali, as prepared by one of the most competent experts in this field, former Science & Technology & Environment Minister, Professor Jos¨¦ Goldemberg, who was also Chief Editor of the UN World Energy Assessment for the Johannesburg Summit, and host of the historic Rio Summit. Similar complaints came from many Small Island States, who fear to be submerged during the 21st Century by the rising ocean levels, due to global warming caused by fossil fuels. Similar worries were expressed by mountainous nations who are losing their winter sport areas, many rare species and scenic glaciers.

The Johannesburg Summit offers the unique opportunity to correct the terrible mistake that in Rio the energy problems were suppressed by power players and politicians like former US President Bush. A positive request was made to WSSD PrepCom Chairman Emil Salim by the World Sustainable Energy Coalition, to update Agenda 21 with an extra Chapter on Energy, for which also the support of the UN Secretary General and the General Assembly is sought to foster consensus on this crucial survival question. Thanks to Prof. Salim for his courage to accept this proposal and for his indefatigable endeavors to make WSSD a success - he may write sustainable development history.