Global Energy Conference at the European Parliament
Energy Globe Foundation and the Committees of the European Parliament (ITRE) hosted conference„Awareness Raising and best practice as key tools for implementing energy efficiency“, Brussels, May 27th, 2008
01.06.2008 |Margriet Samwel
Mikhail Gorbachev thinks: “Western model of over-consumption has to be discussed and corrected”
„Awareness
Raising and best practice as key tools for implementing energy efficiency“ was the title of the Global Energy Conference hosted jointly by the Committees of the European Parliament (ITRE)
and Energy Globe Foundation
The Global Energy Conference took place a day after the event of the Energy Globe Award 2008, where WECF and its Romanian partner were elected as the national winner for Romania. For the international conference well-known personalities such as the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and the Minister of environment Maneka Gandhi were invited. Critical statements towards policy and western life style were given. In addition winners and guests of the energy globe award participated on the conference
Kofi Annan
Kofi
Annan mentioned, climate change is not just an environmental issue, but has
impact on human individuals. Diseases like yellow fever or malaria will
increase, groundwater will have increased salt intrusions. British economist
predicted than the global economy will decrease 20%, migration and
destabilisation would occur. Politicians should take the climate change more
seriously.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail
Gorbachev shared his youth experiences with the nature in southern Soviet:
droughts, dust storms and cold, causing lack on food and migration. Good and
bad practices were implemented to solve the problems, but now there is a need
to look to ways how to solve the problems and learn from made experiences.
Gorbachev thinks there are not enough visions which are fulfilled and expressed
his doubt about the political will to change the world: it is not sure if the
Kyoto Protocol will be enlarged, protocols on water are not implemented and the
MDGs are not full implemented.
Western lifestyle: not a model for the world
Lessons are learned from Chernobyl: Nuclear
energy, in particular in high dense Europe should not be seen as a solution for
solving the energy problem, but should gradually be diminished. The western lifestyle is not a model for the
world, but the system has to be reassessed and harmonised and balanced. The
model of over-consumption has to be discussed and corrected.
Maneka Gandhi: Use of human waste (excreta) to generate biogas; if we could governments get with us to adopt this approach, many problems could be solved
Projects
of the national global energy award winner, the NGO Sulabh from India showed,
human excreta can be successful reused for the production of biogas. Maneka
Gandhy said, if we could get the government with us to adopt this approach,
many environmental and human problems would be solved. Many problems could be
solved with the governmental will, however it is left to the NGOs.
Energy Globe Portal
However, governments should issue what has to
be done.The
Vice president of the Energy Globe Foundation, Hans-Peter Schmid presented the
initiative “Energy Globe Portal”. This Portal gives visitors the chance to make an energy check of a building or
her/his house. In addition the visitor can see the effects on CO2 production
related to several energy saving steps and measures.
