Sustainable Futures in the Commonwealth
Posted by AlexT - 02/12/09 at 03:12 pm
This conversation starter is taken from an article by Vijay Amliwala, the Director of Commonwealth Business Council Technology. A longer version originally appeared in Overseas magazine, the quarterly journal of the Royal Over-Seas League.
With high growth predicted over the next decade in many Commonwealth countries, now is the time to take some initiative. There is the potential to reduce energy consumption in certain (wealthier) countries, while improving the quality of life for the world’s poorest.
We need to harness renewable energy, make renewable energies available to those who currently lack modern forms of energy, and make renewable energies attainable to all without risking geo-political conflict over competition for resources.
Commonwealth Business Council Technology (CBCT), a company formed in 2007 in the UK, aims to make ‘clean technology’ a strategic focus. Many leading figures within the Commonwealth – including the Indian science and technology minister, the Maldives energy minister, and the Kenyan prime minister – have discussed their ‘clean technology’ plans with the CBCT, and examined their ‘green’ strategies. Together, they have resolved that the Commonwealth needs to support developing countries first and foremost, to ensure their growth encompasses green initiatives.
Work has already started in India. With more than 300 days of sunlight a year, and large expanse of arid land, Gujarat has good radiation levels and land that can be used to transfer the sun’s rays into electricity. CBCT are now planning to build a ‘Solar Power Plant’, harnessing and producing 30MW of solar power, connecting directly to the national electricity grid for consumers’ use. Such innovations can, hopefully, be applied to other regions of the Commonwealth.
Recently, the Kenyan energy minister expressed interest in utilising solar and wind power, but admitted a reluctance in putting scarce resources into capital-intensive programmes. Here, the Gujarat Solar Policy can move the agenda forward in Africa by providing a concrete business case for funding, and for the practical success of using green power.
Commonwealth countries can learn from each other and help move forward the fight against climate change.
Category : Climate Change & Environment
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December 19th, 2009 at 3:49 am
One of the principles affirmed is that of ‘sustainable development’ What is the Commonwealth’s stance on sustainable development? The UN sponsored conference on Climate Change will have an enormous impact on the approach countries take toward sustainable development.The Commonwealth should take alead in this. We owe it to the emerging generation. The impact of the Commonwealth Business Technology Council efforts should be publicised and developed .
December 25th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I belive it has to start from the Developed countries and they should stop measures to regulate polluting other poor, developing countries by stopping exporting wastes generated in their homeland.
Only 20% of the worlds population lives in these developed nations. But this 20%
* Consumes 60% of the worlds energy
* owns 90% of the worlds vehicles
* consumes 75% of the worlds fresh water
* consumes 45% of the worlds fish and meat
It should be noted that when you take the world population as a whole
* one person in five does not have access to drinking water
* two billion people do not have access to electricity.
(source:Sustainability and built environment, CEM 2008)
Here UK is one among this developed nations, as we all know very few people in UK use public transportation, even though UK government boasts as one of the forefront runners of climate change campaign, its sad to highlight that instead of promoting public transport Government is still increasing the fares of trains and buses. Government should try to impose more taxes on private cars and introduce more rebates to encourage public transport, which could there by reduce the CO2 emissions considerably.
Even though there are various regulations from EA in construction industry and other sectors who are the main culprits in pollution. It is only in papers and nothing is happening in practice.
Even though there are lots of promises, unless some public awareness, incentives and encouragement is done to these businesses they wont act for good of this program.
Earth lover