Globally, energy consumption is growing at a rapid rate. The World Energy Outlook predicts that in the next 25 years, energy consumption will increase by 60 % with the bulk of this growth to occur in developing countries. Under a business as usual scenario, fossil fuels will continue to dominate the energy mix, with enormous environmental, health, economic, and energy security consequences. The share of renewable energy, though growing in absolute terms, will remain largely unchanged (14%, of which the bulk today is traditional biomass and hydropower). Further, despite these growth rates, 1.4 billion people will be without electricity in 2030 and a comparable amount will continue to rely on traditional biomass for heating and cooking needs. Clearly, this is an unsustainable path for the world to follow, particularly given rising fossil fuels prices that are projected to remain high into this decade and beyond.rnOn November 7-8, 2005, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People's Republic of China organized the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference 2005 (BIREC 2005). This meeting brought together the international community around the shared goal of global renewable energy development, with a particular emphasis on developing countries. BIREC 2005 reviewed the status of renewable energy and its contribution to economic development and poverty reduction; shared success stories and lessons learned from renewable energy deployment; and explored approaches and trends in renewable energy policy, finance, and capacity building.rnBIREC 2005 was supported by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Natural Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Germany; the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany: thernUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); and the European Commission. The Conference builds upon the groundwork of renewable energy for development begun at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI). This plan calls for an increase in the global market share for renewable energy-with a sense of urgency. This work was furthered at the landmark Bonn International Renewable Energies Conference in June 2004 (Renewables 2004) that brought together participants from across the world to focus on renewable energy scale up, with an emphasis on the industrialized world. Outcomes of the Bonn Conference included a Political Declaration, a set of Policy Recommendations, and an International Action Program (IAP) that included 200 voluntary commitments on renewable energy from a range of stakeholders. BIREC 2005 also reviewed progress on commitments made at WSSD and in Bonn.
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