Dubai/Nairobi, 9 February
2006-Rapid and global improvements in the
energy efficiency of buildings, factories
and cars are needed to overcome the world’s
over-dependency on fossil fuels, environment
ministers said today at the end of an international
gathering.
Energy savings at home, at work and on the
world’s highways offer the “greatest immediate
scope” for tackling the fuel crisis that
is challenging the economies of the developed
and the developing world, they said.
Saving energy and using it more efficiently
also carries direct benefits in terms of
fighting climate change and reducing health
hazardous emissions in cities and in homes.
Energy efficiency codes and standards should
be adopted world-wide for buildings, electrical
appliances, cars and agricultural machinery,
ministers concluded.
Governments should set the example by focusing
their purchasing power on buying energy
efficient goods, equipment and services,
they said.
The conclusions came from delegates from
over 150 countries at the end of the 9th
Special Session of the United Nations Environment
Programme's (UNEP) Governing Council/Global
Ministerial Forum.
They are contained in the chairman’s summary
which will be sent to the next session of
the Commission on Sustainable Development
to be held in New York in May.
Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director,
said: "Ministers meeting here in the
United Arab Emirates have gone to the heart
of the most pressing problem facing the
planet. And that is energy.”
“The rising demand for energy and the climbing
price of fossil fuels has implications for
economic growth, for fighting poverty and
for the local and global environment. This
was firmly reflected in our discussions
and will, I sincerely hope, trigger real
international action.”
Governments also recognized the greater
potential of renewables such as wind and
solar power and said that real progress
in this field had been made since the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.
Transfer of clean energy technologies and
more creative financial measures that reflect
the full costs of the production, consumption
and use of different energies formed an
important part of the discussions.
Tourism
The important role of the world’s biggest
industry—tourism—for fighting poverty, delivering
sustainable development and for helping
to conserve vital ecosystems like coral
reefs up to forests was also underlined.
But delegates also acknowledged that insensitive
tourism and leisure developments can severely
impact the environment and harm the social
and cultural identities of those living
in or near such developments.
Many called for better research on ‘carrying
capacity’ – the level of visitors that a
given location can take without compromising
the environment, so as to better plan tourism
projects.
Others stressed the link between changes
in the climate and tourism and suggested
greater efforts by given to more efficient
public transport systems at resorts as one
way of reducing greenhouse gases.
They also called for improved disaster preparedness
in vulnerable tourist destinations – developed
in cooperation with local authorities.
In a speech at the end of the meeting, Mr.
Toepfer thanked the government and people
of the United Arab Emirates and Dubai for
successfully hosting the gathering.
“I have already said that this great city
of Dubai has become a cross roads, where
east meets west and north meets south.”
“The 9th Special Session of the GC/GMEF
meets at another important cross- roads—where
environment meets economics. Where the urgency
of balancing development with the Earth’s
life support systems is being finally heard."
“Where developed, developing and rapidly
developing economies know that environmental
degradation is THE bottleneck for economic
development."
“Where the environment is losing its silk
scarf image. Where it is understood that
it is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for
fighting poverty,” said Mr. Toepfer.
