MOSCOW. (Igor Tomberg for RIA Novosti) - On May 31-June 1, 2007, a ministerial conference "Energy in a Changing World" took place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Its participants discussed global energy development.
The conference was co-hosted by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Energy and UNESCO in the framework of the Sustainable Energy Development Center. The ministry and UNESCO signed a memo on its formation last summer.
Russia attaches particular importance to energy as a major challenge of the new millennium. Energy security is becoming a decisive factor for the world's future. Development of new energy technologies is indispensable for a steady economic advance and is part of the global energy strategy.
Speaking in Paris, Russian Minister of Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko observed that "energy development is a global process." Participants in this process should not be too pragmatic. Governments and cultures should conduct their dialogue using the UNESCO language of humanitarian values.
They should discuss and assert principles of global partnership in energy security. The minister noted that Russia was developing its energy industry in line with the principles of the Energy Charter. These include demand-and-supply security, diversification of sources of supply and markets, risk sharing, market transparency, renunciation of politicization and militarization of the global energy industry, and priority of market-oriented principles.
During the conference, the Russian delegation expressed its own view of the emerging world energy infrastructure and urged all interested countries, above all developing nations, to take part in it. The Russian minister and his counterparts from other countries painted a frightening picture of the world's energy inequality.
In the world, 1.6 billion people do not have access to electricity. Out of this number, 535 million live in Africa. There is a tremendous gap between those who have energy and those who don't. Luxembourg with a population of about half a million people consumes as much electricity as Ghana with 22 million or Kenya with 35 million. The United States consumes nearly one quarter of the global electricity and oil supply.
Russia has put forward a clear-cut and realistic program of tackling energy poverty. Today, access to energy implies access to energy technologies. During the next 20 years mankind should make scientific and technological breakthroughs to develop pure, safe and renewable energy sources, such as hydrogen, nuclear and solar energy, and biological fuel and coal technologies. But no country can make such breakthroughs on its own. Considering the growing gap in energy sufficiency, it is very important to prevent energy from causing wars.
UNESCO can play a unique role in this respect by bringing together energy scientists, engineers and experts from all over the world and uniting their knowledge and know-how. Russia has suggested setting up a Sustainable Energy Development Center under the UNESCO aegis in Moscow in order to make expert assessments and forecasts in world energy.
It is important to disseminate new energy technologies all over the world. The Russian minister urged a more active assertion of humanitarian principles in global energy dialogue.
"Energy projects should consider the imperative of preserving natural wealth and its diversity, envision respect for the cultures of indigenous populations, and provide for a fair distribution of energy in order to overcome energy poverty," he said.
During the 2006 G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia initiated this approach. G8 countries should form a global system of exchange in advanced energy technologies as a basis of stable energy and economic development.
The conference took place several days before the start of the G8 summit in German Heiligendamm. It urged the summit to elaborate a new approach to steady development that would include:
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- exchange of energy technologies to enhance energy effectiveness, improve management and ensure stability of the world energy system with active participation of the business and scientific communities;
- - development and introduction of advanced experience in energy education;
- - elaboration of indicators for the evaluation of modern, reliable and accessible energy services;
- - adoption by the G8 countries of specific commitments on combating energy poverty.
All these principles featured in the Russian delegation's report and were voiced by the Russian minister. In this way, Russia used the UNESCO rostrum to reaffirm the fundamental principles of its energy policy, primarily the equitable and positive supplier-consumer dialogue. Being in a unique position of a major consumer and supplier, Russia can adequately consider the interests of both sides. Moscow appealed to the developing nations to take an active part in working out principles of energy dialogue. It is working to reduce energy egotism that is starting to threaten the world's development and stability.
Igor Tomberg, Ph.D., is a senior research fellow with the Center for Energy Studies, the Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
