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World Energy Assessment (WEA) Input for CSD 9
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By Raymond Myles, INFORSE Regional Coordinator for South Asian Region
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In 1997, the Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGASS) convened to review progress on Agenda 21. It recognized energy as an issue of great importance in achieving sustainable development objectives, and decided that the Ninth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD9), in 2001, should focus on energy.
As a way to inform discussion and debate about sustainable energy, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and the World Energy Council (WEC, which represents the fuels and electricity industries ) have initiated the World Energy Assessment (WEA). The WEA will provide an evaluation of the social, economic, environmental, and security issues linked to energy and of the compatibility of different energy options with objectives in these areas. The report will address the linkages between energy and major global issues, such as the economy, social issues, environment, and security. It will also review the state of current energy resources, discuss technology options for a sustainable future, and provide an analysis of various potential energy scenarios. Lastly, it will offer a discussion on policy options to bring about a sustainable future. The report will be distributed widely prior to the CSD9 process. It will be offered as an informal input to CSD9 and to the “Rio Plus Ten” meeting the following year.
The Advisory Panel on WEA, which I have been invited to join, held its first meeting on July 12 and 13, 1999 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Advisory Panel conveys editorial input from a broad range of stakeholders in various aspects of energy. I have also agreed to serve as an expert peer reviewer for the first draft of the assessment report.
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