globalternative.org - Climate, Energy and Globalization

Climate, Energy and Globalization
Energy is a fundamental area of global concern. Today’s fossil energy system is the main cause for global climate change. Limited access to energy services and heavy reliance on traditional bio-mass are hallmarks of poverty in developing countries. Currently, 2.4 billion people rely on traditional bio-mass – wood, agricultural residues, and dung – for cooking and heating.

A global sustainable energy system must rely on two strategies, energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy. With respect to the industrialised world’s dependence on oil from politically unstable regions and the problem of proliferation in nuclear energy, the transition into a "solar" energy system is also a contribution to conflict prevention.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation commissioned the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut) to work out central elements for the change to a sustainable energy system. The result of these considerations is the paper "Changing Course – A Contribution to a Global Energy Strategy (GES)", which the Foundation promoted as an input to the WSSD and its follow-up processes. A beginner's guide tells you all about international energy-related initiatives in the WSSD context.

In the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, the Heinrich Böll Foundation promoted the International Conference for Renewable Energies "Renewables 2004" hosted by the German government in Bonn from June 1-4, 2004. The Foundation succeeded to involve global civil society in the preparations of the conference and enabled its broad participation.

One milestone in this work was the international strategy workshop "Roadmap to Renewables 2004", launched by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, WWF International, and the Forum Environment and Development. In this workshop, the global civil society network CURES – "Citizens United for Renewable Energy and Sustainability" was founded. The more than 40 CURES members jointly released the declaration "The Future is Renewable", aimed at the International Conference for Renewable Energies 2004.

KyotoPlus: ESCAPING THE CLIMATE TRAP
As extreme weather conditions become the rule rather than the exception, a conference co-organized by HBF is to look for new solutions for the climate. more

Transitioning to Renewable Energy
At the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, access to sustainable and affordable energy was not only seen as a cornerstone of national economic development, but also as critical for poverty alleviation and social equity. more

Changing course - A Contribution to a Global Energy Strategy (GES)
This policy paper, prepared by the Öko-Institut (Institute for Applied Ecology), prepares principal elements of a Global Energy Strategy (GES). more