PRESS RELEASE INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ENERGY SOCIETY NGO RENEWABLE ENERGY SUMMIT May 20-21, 1994, New York, USA Unifying Principles of Sustainable Development From 20-21 May 1994 the Non Government Organisations (NGOs) from around the world met in New York to discuss issues of sustainable development and the interlinkages to renewable energy technologies. This activity was co-ordinated by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), and sponsored by a number of organisations, such as the International Fund for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation, the Swedish International Development Authority, United States Agency for International Development, US Department of Energy and the World Resources Institute. The NGO Renewable Energy Summit is part of the International Solar Energy Society's ISES 2000 Initiative. The main objectives of this Initiative are to: Influence the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) to more seriously address the impact of energy use within the context of the CSD agenda. Raise awareness amongst the NGO community and governments about the benefits and potentials of renewable energy technologies, and how they can operate to assist in programme delivery for national and global issues of sustainable population growth. The ISES NGO Summit drew attention to the critically important connections between renewable energy and sustainable development. In doing so, it built upon the extensive knowledge and experience which major NGOs from around the world bring to the environmental and development issues central to the CSD and Agenda 21. The issues discussed were not solely renewable energy, but also on the unifying principles of sustainable development, as defined by the CSD and supported by ISES which impact upon energy requirements and are impacted upon by the supply of energy. The beginning step in the quest for sustainable development is a revisiting of our ethical framework, i.e. we must re-evaluate our individual and global commitment to the principles of equity, justice and empowerment for all peoples, and be prepared to be courageous enough to take those policy actions which will result in a more equitable and just global society, both geographically and generationally. These unifying values of equity, justice and empowerment require recognition that: True equity means enlarging the sphere of influence which each individual (man, woman and child) has over his/her life. Social justice entails increasing the number of economic and political choices which we all have. Empowerment requires the concomitant political and economic power necessary to exercise these options. A preferential posture ought to be taken with respect to those populations that have traditionally been marginalised, such as women, the youth and indigenous peoples. Commenting in the Opening Address, Christine Ervin, Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, United States Department of Energy stated ` using renewable energy is analogous to the practice of living off the Earth's interest rather than the capital.' Dr Griffin Thompson, ISES, said Sustainable development objectives, particularly when viewed from the perspective of energy, have to pay close consideration to questions of demand as well as supply. That is, simply increasing the supply of energy will not address the inequitable use of energy and the energy consumption patterns that characterise today's demand profiles. A number of existing institutional structures and practices are barriers to sustainable development and increased use of renewable energy technologies. These include many of the policies and programmes of the development banks and donor agencies; international trade agreements such as GATT and NAFTA; international organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency; individual government policies and energy pricing practices; prevailing cultural customs and traditions which foster unsustainable energy consumption patterns, ignorance and social inequity. UNESCO, said, It would be wonderful to focus on energy for peace - that focuses on awareness raising of what all this entails: improved quality of life, better environment through less pollution, better utilisation of natural resources, understanding of each other's needs and practising frugality and conservation. A number of institutional structures and practices can promote the goals of sustainability. These include educational outreach measures, NGO initiatives as real agents of change, progressive government policies ad market-driven projects. Participating NGOs on the unifying principles of sustainable development included the Earth Council (Costa Rica), President's Council on Sustainable Development (USA), Netherlands Committee for IUCN, Union of Concerned Scientists (USA), Aid Watch (Australia), Worldwatch Institute (USA), Development Dialogue (Zimbabwe) FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Jenniy Gregory, ISES, UK: Tel. 44-734-73 0073, Fax. 44-734-730820 National Section, ISES, NOTES: 1. The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) was formed in 1954, as a non-profit organisation, to provide a forum for scientific exchange in the field of solar energy. It is an accredited Non-Government Organisation (NGO) with the United Nations Economic & Social Committee (ECOSOC), and is widely regarded as the foremost global organisation promoting the development and utilization of renewable energies. ISES is now active in over 105 countries world-wide. Its membership includes eminent scientists and researchers, plus many other professionals who are active within the field of renewable energies. It also has members from industry and other private and public organisations. 2. The NGO Renewable Energy Summit was the first in a series of events which are aimed to impact upon the CSD and national governments. Through ISES's new regional offices, further conferences are planned for South Africa, Europe (Greece) and South America (Argentina). These conferences will draw from the conclusions and insights emerging from the NGO Summit in order to identify actions of regional consequence. 3. Technologies which are directly or indirectly fuelled by the sun and which minimise the consequences of energy use can provide sustainable solutions for the supply of energy in both industrialised and developing countries. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies have many applications world-wide, and provide an immediate and sustainable way of providing power for uses such as telecommunications, homes, hospitals and health centres in developing countries. Solar drying techniques can be used to dry fruit and vegetables. Solar stills provide fresh water. Solar cookers do not emit pollution or contribute to forest degradation. Clean solar systems can be designed to contribute to the electricity grid (such as PV architecturally integrated into buildings; large centralised solar power stations; landfill gasifiers), power electric vehicles; and provide heat for industrial and domestic applications. In all regions, solar architecture can provide comfortable buildings which are inexpensive to heat and cool and which are comfortable to live and/or work in. 4. The ISES 2000 Initiative, Initiatives of ISES & Recommendations to the CSD is available upon request. Photographs and slides of renewable energy technologies are also available. 5. ISES does not consider large scale hydro-electric power plants to be sustainable or renewable, as they take up vast amounts of land, often displace local peoples, destroy the local environment and effect ecological changes in the land around them and downstream.