Download Energy training Programme for SE Europe

Govor ministra Janeza Podobnika
Konferenca: Energy training Programme for SE Europe
Grad Jable, 18. september 2007
Velja govorjena beseda!
Energy and climate security: two sides of the same coin
Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, colleagues Ministers, distinguished participants,
Today is difficult to speak about energy, not mentioning climate change. We are
already observing the predominantly adverse effects of climate change; however,
much more is going to happen in the years and decades to come. Scientific evidence
is clear. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change “Fourth Assessment
Report” findings show that human influence on climate system is greater than
previously thought, and that the average global temperature is growing faster than
projected earlier. It is estimated, that the global emissions have to be reduced by 50
% by the middle of this century in order to avoid most severe catastrophes.
However, in order to bring climate change to a halt, global greenhouse gas emissions
must be reduced by approximately 80 %.
The influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, commissioned
by the UK governement, estimates that if we don’t act, the overall costs and risks of
climate change could rise up to 20 % of global GDP with unprecedented economic,
social and political consequences. In contrast, the costs of action – reducing
greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change – can be
limited to around 1% of global GDP. This leads to a simple conclusion: the benefits of
strong and early action far outweigh the economic costs of not acting.
EU has already made an independent commitment to considerably reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and we are expecting others to follow in the
frame of global comprehensive post 2012 agreement.
CO2 contributes mostly to the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and CO2
emissions are manly linked with fossil fuel use. This is the reason for the strong link
between energy production and use and climate change.
On the other hand Europe has entered a new energy era. Global demand for energy
is increasing within a framework of high and unstable energy prices. Reserves of oil
and gas are concentrated in a few supplier countries. It is clear that we have to
increase the use of low-carbon energy technologies and to improve energy efficiency.
This is a common solution to both energy and climate security.
And finally to put the global challenges into a regional perspective and in line with the
topic of the conference. The South East Europe has significant potentials of
renewable energy sources, a lot of coal as well as considerable potential for energy
efficiency. The main goals are to create a stable and regulatory energy market
framework capable of attracting investment, complying with environmental standards,
benefiting the local economy and environment. One of the challenges in this respect
is to use renewable resources in a sustainable way. Moreover, to secure long term
profitability of the investments in energy infrastructure in a world attributing price to
carbon emissions low carbon technologies will have to be employed.
I would like to use this opportunity to wish the participants successful conference and
training project.
Thank You.