Action Brief for Delegates and Observers of Renewables 2004

I started walking this road alone. Gradually more people joined me and soon it was a caravan.
– Indian Proverb

1. Ministers and other high level officials from 154 developing and industrial countries are entering their final 24 hours of deliberations in Bonn with a focus on two goals:

• Expanding the share of renewables in the global energy mix
• Providing access to sustainable energy for the world’s poor

While some may perceive them to be in conflict, they are not mutually exclusive but parallel goals.

2. We urgently need renewables now, combined with dramatic improvements in energy efficiency.

Several trends have accelerated since the international community last discussed commitments to renewable energy at the World Summit in 2002, providing additional impetus to Renewables 2004.

• Continuing advances in renewable technologies and rapidly declining costs. During the past decade, global wind and solar power markets have grown 30 and 22 percent, respectively, per year.
• Oil insecurity is increasing with escalating resource conflicts and terrorist activities; rapidly rising demand; an increasing gap between oil discovery and consumption. Renewables strengthen national security, provide energy autonomy, further democracy, and can never be depleted.
• Rising fuel prices are slowing the global economy, costing jobs, and further depleting foreign currency reserves of the world’s poorest nations. Renewable fuels are domestic, all but biomass are free, and they create new jobs and foster economic growth.
• Accelerating increase in energy demand, particularly in rapidly developing countries. Renewables are modular, can be installed quickly, and combined with efficiency measures can meet the needs of industrial and developing economies alike.
• Climate change has become a factor in decision making of major financial institutions and insurance companies, while there is increasing evidence that it is already impacting an increasing number of people and ecosystems around the world.

3. Strong agreements must emerge from Renewables 2004. Leaders must lead. The world is ready for a new energy future. The Worldwatch Institute and Germanwatch recommend:

• Develop an action plan that includes government political commitments to move renewable energy into the mainstream of national energy markets.
• Commit to strong, credible follow-up mechanisms for monitoring and spurring future actions by governments, businesses, civil society, and international organizations.
• Create additional financial mechanisms to channel new funding into the development of renewable energy and to pave the way to energy access for the world’s poorest people.