Opening Speech at the Seminar on Rural Energy Provision in Africa by the UNEP Executive Director Klaus Topfer

摘要

It is my pleasure to address this gathering of experts on solar energy issues in Africa. Let me thank the International Solar Energy Society for, in realization of our programmes and objectives, choosing to collaborate with UNEP in their implementation of this activity. Within the framework of UNEP's programme on collaboration with stakeholders, I look forward to a fruitful follow-up on the outcome of this work. Needless to say that there is growing deterioration of the environment in Africa and globally, increasing social and economic inequality, with associated impacts on the environment and rapid changes in the global economy, the environment, technology, consumption patterns and demographics. One important ground upon which our analysis of environment and development issues could be based revolve around energy issues. In particular, it is important for us to constantly remind ourselves that without sufficient access to energy, our countries cannot embark on any meaningful path of development. Indeed this is one of the reasons Africa needs to explore and utilize all available means of energy for full range of activities. However, we need to ensure that energy is not only used in a sustainable way, but also in an environmentally benign manner. One obvious option for attaining this is through the utilization of renewable energy. Again, this is one reason this Seminar is of importance to Africa. Allow me to note that rural poverty remains persistent in Africa because of inadequate access to energy for productive uses by which to escape from the cycle of poverty. The majority of Africa's population is rural. They meet their energy needs by using primitive and inefficient technologies based primarily on biomass as fuel. Rural people in Africa remain barely able to satisfy basic needs of nutrition, warmth and light. We can ignore the problem no longer. We can no longer massage our consciences with academic rationalization about "trickle-down" of benefits from urban to rural sectors to justify continued urban bias in energy provision. The situation is getting worse because of the following: rapid growth in urban population is likely to force policy makers to continue to neglect rural issues; wood fuel resources continue to be wasted due to poor management and inefficient conversion technologies; and high indoor smoke pollution severely impairs health. The burden of traditional energy use continues to fall disproportionately on women. Such problems have long been recognized, but solutions have traditionally emphasized conventional energy generation and distribution networks and institutions. They were patterned on the well-beaten trajectory of growth in capacity for material production and consumption that had been pursued by today's industrialized countries.