Roadmap For Sustainable Development Of Global Energy Resources

Oct 22: A new report from the InterAcademy Council -- made up of over 100 of the world's science, engineering, and medical academies -- lays out a roadmap for sustainable development of global energy resources. It recommends that governments provide research and financial incentives for the development of renewable energy sources, impose prices to discourage carbon emissions, and take steps to meet the basic needs of the 1.6 billion people worldwide who currently live without modern energy services. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences is a member of the IAC.

The report, Lighting The Way, commissioned by the governments of Brazil and China, identifies a scientific consensus framework for directing global energy development. It lays out the science, technology and policy roadmap for developing energy resources to drive economic growth in both industrialized and developing countries while also securing climate protection and global development goals. The report was produced by a study panel of 15 world-renowned energy experts, co-chaired by Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in the United States, and José Goldemberg, former Secretary of State for the Environment for the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

The report establishes the best practices for a global transition to a clean, affordable and sustainable energy supply in both developing and developed countries. The report addresses incentives that can accelerate the development of innovative solutions, provides recommendations for financial investments in research and development and explores other transition pathways that can transform the landscape of energy supply and demand around the globe.

In addressing mitigation of the environmental impacts of energy generation and use, the report informs global action on climate change, such as implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, agenda setting for the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, and ongoing multinational talks on future global action to reduce greenhouse emissions. The report also confronts the unequal access to energy experienced by the one-third of the world’s population without access to basic energy services, and makes recommendations for addressing this disparity as well as for promoting national and global energy security.

Access an overview and link to the report by sections or in total (click here). Access a 15-page executive summary (click here). [*Energy, *Climate]