Transcript No Slide Title

Governance of Energy from the
Local to the Global
— A Necessity
for Climate Change Mitigation
Sylvia Karlsson
11th Annual IEF Conference,
Ottawa, Canada
12-14 October 2007
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International Environment Forum
Outline
1. Energy and climate change
2. What is governance?
3. Global energy governance
4. National energy governance
5. Local energy governance
6. Life beyond energy...
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Energy (mostly fossil
fuels) is the key driver
behind human
contributions to climate
change.
Two thirds of green
house gases come from
energy use.
3
Per capita energy use (giga joules) by region, 2000
OECD North America
- 2,4 billion people lac
access to modern
cooking fuels (half of
all households and
90% of rural Series1
households)
- 1,6 billion lack acces
to electricity (one
quarter of world
population)
OECD Pacific
OECD Europe
Non-OECD Europe
Former USSR
Latin America and Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
China
Asia
0
50
100 150 200 250 300
Source: World Energy Assessment Overview 2004 Update
“Governance is the sum of the many ways
individuals and institutions, public and private,
manage their common affairs. It is a continuing
process through which conflicting or diverse
interests may be accommodated and co-operative
action may be taken.” (Commission on Global
Governance 1995)
Global energy governance
• mediate conflict over energy resources
• facilitate the transition to renewable energy
• address global energy disparities
“The light of men is Justice. .. The purpose of justice is
the appearance of unity among men.”
- Bahá'u'lláh 6
National energy governance
• take strong immediate decisions
favouring energy efficiency, energy
savings and renewable sources
• take bold (and sometimes costly)
decisions in long-term energy planning
“Trustworthiness is the foundation
of all virtues” - Bahá'u'lláh -
Individuals, families, communities
• choose more efficient lightbulbs, fridges, cars etc.
• choose renewable energy sources
• drive less, fly less, consume less...
“...be content with little” - Bahá'u'lláh 8
...but live more with less energy!
“...it is clear that the
honour and exaltation of
man must be something
more than material riches.
Material comforts are only
a branch, but the root...is
the good attributes and
virtues which are the
adornments of his reality
-’Abdu’l-Bahá-
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Thank you!
Contact:
[email protected]
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