Governments around the world are being called on to increase their commitment to the production of renewable energies and to level the playing field when it comes to costs and subsidies.
This follows the Second World Wind Energy Conference, attended by 400 delegates from 40 countries, which ended in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Delegates said the main obstacle to the increased use of renewable energies remains the cost gap caused by ”enormous” subsidies and other cost factors around fossil fuel and nuclear energies.
”The world community is called on to create a level playing field and [to provide] favourable conditions for renewable energies.”
Other resolutions to emanate from the conference include the need to find innovative financing schemes to foster the wind industry in poorer countries and to allow local communities to benefit directly from such industries.
Delegates believe the provisions within the Kyoto treaty need to be extended.
”The Kyoto framework should be amended in order to foster long-term investment in clean, renewable energies instead of setting up incentives just for short-term efficiency improvements and without regarding the energy source itself.”
They also believe the World Trade Organisation’s ”laws” should be amended so that governments have the right to prioritise renewable energies and that such energies be fostered by the wealthier countries.
”The industrialised nations must put a stronger emphasis on renewable energy supply through their development policies. Programmes must focus on the establishment of domestic, renewable energy industries.”
The conference called on those with expertise to assist with the exchange of information and for the setting up of a global information pool for renewable energies.
”Transfer of know-how is essential to enable local communities to build up their own production facilities in cooperation with experienced entrepreneurs and scientists from the countries where wind energy is already contributing to the energy supply.
”The upcoming International Conference on Renewable Energies 2004 [Bonn] should embrace these demands. The governments of the leading countries in the field of renewable energy are called on to continue extending their successful policies and to create national and international programmes including new and ambitious targets,” the conference resolved. — Sapa