From Guest Blogger Mathias: 50 Governments Have Launched New Energy Strategies

This was announced by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this Thursday on the “Sustainable Energy For All” Rio summit. The 2030 goal of the initiative is to double our renewable energy use and the rate of energy efficiency improvement – and maybe most important to ensure universal access to energy.

More than $50 billion of investments have been pledged by the private sector according to the U.N.

Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and co-chair of Sustainable Energy For All, says that the initiative is meant to keep the sustainable talks going after the event in Rio is finished.

Somewhere around 1.3 billion people do not yet have access have access to electricity and another 2.7 billion use dirty fuels for cooking and heating. Yumkella firmly beliefs that the more of these people have access to clean energy will not only help stopping the climate crisis, but also spur new “green growth” and accelerating the process:

“The argument is simple: when we invest in green growth, we benefit the economy and the environment. When we innovate clean technologies, when we reduce, recycle and even recover energy from waste, when we invest in education for advances in sustainability. Countries around the world see the benefit of this approach.”

He also noted that it is important that top-level organizations will take the lead, for example in Europe “U.N. provides the overarching framework for our efforts”.

General Moon anticipates the initiative and the “green growth” will result in substantial benefits for over 1 billion people, greatly improving their quality of life:

“I would add that green growth means more than hope and confidence — it means jobs, innovation, cleaner air and more liveable cities. Green growth is central to why we are here in Rio: to lift people out of poverty and protect the global environment.”

Brazil has announced that they will invest $4.3 billion to make sure universal energy access will be a reality for everyone in the country within 2014. The U.S. has pledged $2 billion in grants and loans for sustainable energy. These are just two of the 50 countries on the list along with new energy strategies from big companies from the private sector.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Here’s an interview of Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella on Sustainable Energy for All:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtoNqEPa60U&w=560&h=315]

Read more about the initiative on: Sustainable Energy for All

Written by Mathias of Energy Informative