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Newsletter for INFORSE International Network for SustainableNEWS Energy. No. 39, December 2002 NewsNews from:from: GermanyGermany RomaniaRomania EU-UpdateEU-Update EritreaEritrea EnergyEnergy PartnershipsPartnerships NamibiaNamibia Contact List World 2002 (excl. Europe) - Included Editorial Sustainable Energy News Prevent ISSN 0908 - 4134 Published by: Dangerous INFORFORSE Man-made EUROPE Climate International Network for Demonstrations parallel to the climate Sustainable Energy (INFORSE) COP8 in Delhi in November 2002 for is a worldwide NGO network Change the NGOs’ Climate Justice Summit. formed at the Global Forum Photo by Nadia Khastagir in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992. CorpWatch. Source: www.corpwatch.org Editorial Address: Sustainable Energy News INFORSE-Europe The above ultimate objective of the Climate try, there are many indications that the ben- Gl. Kirkevej 82, DK-8530 Convention, signed ten years ago in Rio de efits would outweigh the costs. With large- Hjortshøj, Denmark. Janeiro, is behind most international activities scale introduction of energy-efficiency and Ph: +45-86-227000 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is also renewable-energy technologies, the prices Fax: +45-86-227096 E-mail: [email protected] the objective for most NGOs, local authorities, would go down, and with decrease of fossil- http://www.inforse.org/ companies, and many others to get involved fuel use, energy-crisis and security-of-supply Editors: in activities to reduce climate change. Yet, in issues could be problems of the past. Gunnar Boye Olesen many ways, global development has been go- Judit Szoleczky ing in the wrong direction since 1992. In spite of the potentials, activities to reduce Niki Fowler (text advice) greenhouse-gas emissions have been far from Advisory Board: During the last ten years, we have learned a adequate to stop the global growth of emis- Emil Bedi, FAE, Slovakia lot more about the problems of climate change, sions. However, within the dark overall pic- Sécou Sarr, ENDA, Senegal M.C. Mapako, BUN, Zimbabwe and of the role of man-made greenhouse-gas ture, several positive developments are seen Raymond Myles, INSEDA, India emissions. Based on scientific studies summa- in individual countries: a number of European Emilio La Rovere, LIMA, Brazil rized by the International Panel on Climate countries have managed to combine economic Roque Pedace, Rejima, Argentina Change (www.ipcc.ch) in 2001, the Climate growth with reduced emissions during the 90’s, D. Sukkumoed, SENT, Thailand Action Network has concluded that, to prevent and some developing countries such as China Deadline for next issue: 15.01.2003 the most dangerous climate change, the global have partly decoupled economic growth from Next issue: February 2003 emissions must peak within the next 20 years rises in emissions, as documented by the World The newsletter is quarterly. and must decline quickly thereafter1 . Even if Watch Institute in “Reading the Weathervane” Feel free to use the information, but please state the source. this is done, climate change will cause irre- (see p. 16). versible damage to some unique ecosystems, Annual subscription rate: EUR 25/year. Plus bank cost significant damages to agricultural production On a smaller scale, rapid reductions of green- at checks: EUR 10. in some developing country regions, growing house-gas emissions are taking place in a The newsletter is free of charge to water shortages, and other problems. number of towns, islands, and other local ar- NGOs as long as possible. eas as results of local decisions to take climate Printed by: If development as proposed in Vision2050 for change seriously. The challenge is to progress Fjerritslev Tryk, phase-out of fossil and nuclear energy were from such smaller successes to global reduc- Denmark in realised globally, emissions of CO2, the most tions. Ten years of climate action plans show 3,000 copies. important greenhouse gas, would decline that there is no simple way. It has to be a com- quickly after 10-20 years of transition. In the bination of many more local actions, forward- Sustainable Energy News INFORSE network, we are committed to show looking national strategies, and more effective is supported financially by: European Commission DG Environ- how the transition could be made in a number co-operation among like-minded countries ment - Civil Society Support; of countries, what the benefits and costs would such as those in the EU to reduce emissions. Forum for Energy & Development, be, and what limits it would set to growth in Denmark; and the Antinuclear various sectors such as transport. While the movement, Denmark (OOA) The articles reflect the views of the transition will not happen by itself in any coun- 1 ) Climate Action Network position paper authors and of INFORSE, not of Preventing Dangerous Climate Change, 31/10-02, the financial supporters. see www.climnet.org or www.climatenetwork.org. Photo on the front page: ARTEFACT Center, Germany, now included in the INFORSE database on sustainable energy successes in Europe. Gunnar Boye Olesen See article on page no. 12. INFORSE Co-ordinator for Europe Sustainable Energy News2 No. 39, December 2002 World UNFCCC: COP8 Ends with No Excitement INFORSE Coordinators Delhi Program approved; too little for at COP-8 in Delhi, India From left to right: climate but still important for change. Emil Bedi (Europe), Raymond Myles (South Asia), By Roque Pedace, REJIMA, Argentina, Mika Ohbayashi (Japan), INFORSE regional coordinator Roque Pedace (South America), Suphakij Nuntavorakarn The United Nations Framework Confer- (East Asia and Pacific). th ence on Climate Change had its 8 COP But the funds available are orders of mag- work programmes will require the in New Delhi last October. Extended ne- nitude below what is needed, both for strengthening of national institutions and gotiations around a key demand of devel- adaptation to and for mitigation of climate capacities as well as establishment of a oped countries, i.e., inclusion of ‘a dia- change. Contentious funding issues have mechanism to provide and exchange in- logue on further commitments by devel- been only partially resolved or deferred, formation. oping countries upon entry’ in the Kyoto with arguments centering on the tone of Under this program, climate-change Protocol, proved useless and the issue was documents and deferral dates rather than issues will be integrated with the curricula finally dropped. on substance. There was “further action” at all educational levels and across disci- On the other hand, reporting rules for mentioned in the declaration, but no fu- plines; the third assessment report of the industrialised and developing countries ture commitment to significant emission inter-governmental panel on climate were discussed, and an international pro- reductions nor to renewable-energy tar- change, IPCC, will be translated into vari- gramme for public education and aware- gets. ous languages for wider distribution. This ness was agreed upon. is an opportunity for NGOs working on Awareness Programme this field to become involved and to put CDM, also with Sinks? The good news is that national climate- forward proposals at the country level. An The Clean Development Mechanism change secretariats will be set up in all INFORSE working group was set at the (CDM) is now fully operational after the developing countries to help generate meeting to follow up the Delhi Program. first report of its Executive Board. Ap- public awareness about the issue under a proval of first projects will take place five-year work programme involving all Kyoto Protocol Development early in 2003. But even here, negotiations stakeholders. Canada and New Zealand have already on rules for the use of ‘’carbon sinks’’ Under this “Delhi Programme”, edu- ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and Russia is have been deferred after serious objec- cation, training, public awareness, and expected to do so before October 2003, tions on the treatment of forestry and land public participation, as well as public ac- taking it past the critical threshold of ac- use by several countries. cess to information and international co- cession by countries producing 55 percent operation, will be supported to increase of total emissions in 1990 and thus ren- New But Small Funds people’s understanding of the climate- dering it effective. The meeting provided guidance to the change issues. Capacity-building to adapt Climate Action Network is now focus- global environment facility (GEF) on the to changes brought about by climate ing on the obstacles for the Kyoto Proto- priorities for two new funds - the special change in the developing countries and col’s implementation in the longer term. climate change fund and the least-devel- in countries with economies in transition In this regard, development of equitable oped countries fund. The first one will be will be assisted to develop and implement climate-change strategies was the main is- used for capacity-building as well as for cost-effective and country-driven ap- sue of the Climate Justice Summit in New technology development and transfer; the proaches to further the principles of sus- Delhi, sustainable energy being the cor- second mostly for adaptation. tainable development. Implementation nerstone of this approach. Coalition of the Willing for Renewables SEE IN THIS ISSUE: At the end of the Johannesburg Summit (WSSD), when it was clear • INFORSE-Europe Activities p. 4-5 that no agreement would be reached on a global target for renewable • EU updates p. 6-7 energy, the EU launched a coalition of like-minded countries commit- • Energy Partnerships p. 8-9 ted to increasing their use of renewable energies through quantified, • CDM v. Big Hydro Critic p. 10 time-bound targets. In addition to the 15 EU countries and Commis- sion, the Coalition consists of 52 countries, of which 12 are EU acces- • Contact List with 500 addresses! 14 pages sion countries, three are other Western European countries, 39 are small island states, and the last country is New Zealand.