U.N. Advisers Push Annual $35b-$40b Global Plan to Expand Energy Use and Reduce Carbon

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UNITED NATIONS -- At least $35 billion to $40 billion of annual investments will be required to link all people in the world with modern forms of energy by 2030, a goal that must be reached while reducing heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, a U.N. advisory group recommended yesterday.

Fifteen billion dollars of this should be in the form of annual grants donated by rich nations to expand electricity access to the poor. And the world should not only achieve universal access to energy by 2030, but it should do so while increasing efficiency by 40 percent overall, or 2.5 percent per year. Such steps will be necessary to not only reduce extreme poverty but also combat climate change.

These proposals and others were put forward yesterday by the Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC), a committee set up by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, charged with assessing the global energy picture and incorporating this into international climate change talks. Kandeh Yumkella, chairman of AGECC, insisted that his group's recommendations, while daunting, are not unprecedented.

"We call for smart private-public partnerships to do this, to spread electrification and to give access to various communities and to the energy-poor," said Yumkella.

Spending on new energy sources for the poorest may also be needed to head of future crises, Yumkella added. Most new oil and gas projects coming online today can be found in places like the Gulf of Guinea region in West Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, where sophisticated hydrocarbon developments exist alongside pockets of extreme poverty and social unrest.

"It's not enough to just take energy out," said Yumkella.

United Nations Secretary Generals Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC) meets in Abu Dhabi

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The Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met over the weekend to discuss the preparation of its final report that will provide a prioritized set of key practical and action-oriented recommendations. The report will include an implementation plan and suggestions for moving the energy agenda forward in the context of the post-Copenhagen political realities and opportunities.

The high-level Energy and Climate Change Advisory Group held its fourth meeting in Abu Dhabi—directly following the World Future Energy Summit—under the chairmanship of Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Chairman of UN-Energy, which is the United Nations system-wide coordinating mechanism on energy issues.

“The Abu Dhabi meeting is essential in the group’s efforts to provide a set of recommendations that will assist the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his leadership on climate change and energy issues and the global transition to a sustainable energy future,” said Dr. Yumkella. “With the increasing political prioritization of energy and climate change security, it is imperative that adequate and reliable supplies of energy be addressed in tandem and in the broader context of national development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals”

The Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change is mandated to provide the Secretary General with timely advice on energy issues that are critical to the ongoing climate change discussions.

“The role of the private sector is key in providing the technology and investment flows needed to transform global energy systems,” said Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, member of the Advisory Group and Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. “It is important that the private sector is fully engaged in the dialogue on a global climate change framework. In order to develop long-term low-carbon strategy that will translate to national policies and action. The Advisory Group is a demonstration of the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s leadership in developing mutually beneficial partnerships and bringing private sector perspective in relation to issues regarding energy and sustainable development.”

Among those attending the Advisory Group meeting hosted by Masdar, are top executives from companies such as Statoil (Norway), Suntech Holdings (China), Edison International (United States) as well as political figures, including His Excellency Jose Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, Senator Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation, and officials of various UN Agencies and the World Bank.