Annex B
UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy
US Business Council for Sustainable Energy Australian Business
Council for Sustainable Energy
RENEWABLE ENERGY—JOHANNESBURG PLAN
OF IMPLEMENTATION
The Business Councils represent businesses leading
the promotion of sustainable energy internationally. We support
a government-led ("Type 1") international action plan
for the accelerated uptake of sustainable energy globally. We
believe this will be essential to meet both the Millennium Development
Goals and to achieve the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
necessary to protect the global climate.
Innovative partnerships are at the heart of
ensuring the commitment and participation of sectors and communities
required to bring this about (the approach underpinning the "Type
2" agreements). However such voluntary initiatives by themselves
are unlikely to be adequate to tackle the most serious problems
of sustainable development.
Redressing the current lack of modern energy
provision to substantial populations in the world, particularly
in the South, and the well-documented barriers facing sustainable
energy technologies and services will require a coordinated framework
from governments. This is important to foster confidence from
lenders, investors, enterprises and communities that there is
both aspiration and commitment internationally to a new direction;
and confidence in the technologies and services that are at the
heart of sustainable energy provision.
The Business Councils urge governments, in their
deliberations over the energy elements of the Plan of Implementation:
— to adopt a global target that will
substantively increase the share of renewable energy internationally.
A target should be specific enough to affect investment and policy
decisions, thereby contributing to a reduction in technology costs
internationally through scale, learning and confidence; and
— to focus such a target on the renewable
energy technologies that most require a strong signal of government
commitment and confidence—the "new renewable"
energy technologies. (Noting that this would not preclude governments
from pursuing other renewable energy options consistent with national
sustainable development priorities).
To be effective, an international approach must
be backed by strong, clear national sustainable energy policies
and goals in developed and developing countries that create a
consistent approach to achieving sustainable energy for development.
We strongly support an approach that recognises the role of energy
efficiency and conservation for achieving these goals.
ABOUT THE
COUNCILS
The US Business Council for Sustainable Energy
(BCSE) was formed in response to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit's challenge
of incorporating the energy industry into the sustainable development
discussion. In 1995 the European Business Council for a Sustainable
Energy Future was formed, and in 2001 and 2002 progressive energy
companies in the UK and Australia committed to creating Business
Councils for Sustainable Energy in the United Kingdom (UK BCSE)
and Australia.
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