UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP 15)

e5 will participate in the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Sustainable energy business in Europe calls for a comprehensive, fair and effective agreement on climate protection. Governments can send strong signals to the marketplace that capital investments in infrastructure, power generation and buildings should utilize clean energy products and environmental sound technologies. This will help meet growing energy demand, enhance energy security, improve economic efficiency and create jobs, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

We need a legally binding framework which clarifies that the world community will do all that is necessary in order to limit global warming ≤ 2°C. This means absolute greenhouse gas emission reductions targets to avoid dangerous climate change – based on the scientific findings of the IPCC: Until 2020, industrialised countries have to reduce their emissions in the range of 25-40% from 1990 levels, rapidly developing countries by 30% compared to a 2020 business-as-usal-scenario. Funding has to be provided by the international community that meets the additional financial requirement of 50 – 100 billion EUR per year, so that developing countries are able to reduce their emissions in the necessary range and to adapt their societies to unavoidable impacts of climate change. Incentive structures are needed for technology transfer and deployment and effective instruments for measurements and compliance.

The agreement should support implementation of national policies that:

  • strongly encourage improvements in energy efficiency in buildings, electronic products, electricity generation, manufacturing, transport, communication and production of goods and services and reward early action
  • stimulate the broader use of renewable energy for power generation – through measures such as portfolio standards, tax incentives, and tariff structures, and facilitate long overdue investment in modernizing and upgrading electricity grids
  • fully exploit opportunities for the efficient use of fossil fuel energy supplies, such as CHP, high efficiency combustion technology as well as natural gas, which is not only cost effective for a variety of direct uses, but is also capable of achieving efficiencies of 80 percent or higher when used in combined heat and power applications.

e5 in cooperation with the Munich Re Foundation will co-host a side event on „Climate justice in a post-Kyoto world – options for a fair global policy and eco-innovation“ on Thursday, 17 Dec 2009 ( Room Dan Turell; 18:15—19:45). Munich Re Foundation, MISEREOR and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research present a global energy path for a viable climate change policy to fight poverty. e5 contributes models for alternative benefits to stimulate technology cooperation in case conventional acquisition of gain is not an option.