E-Book Overview
New York, 2011. - 37 p.
The UNCTAD Technology and Innovation Report 2011 focuses on the important role of renewable energy technologies in responding to the dual challenge of reducing energy poverty while mitigating climate change. This is particularly timely as the global community prepares for the Rio+20 Conference next year. The Report identifies key capacity issues for developing countries and proposes concrete recommendations for the wider use of renewable energy technologies to promote sustainable development and poverty reduction.
E-Book Content
U N I T E D N AT I O N S C O N F E R E N C E O N T R A D E A N D D E V E L O P M E N T TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION REPORT 2011 Powering Development with Renewable Energy Technologies OVERVIEW New York and Geneva, 2011 ii TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION REPORT 2011 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. All references to dollars ($) are to United States dollars. A «billion» means one thousand million. Material in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, but acknowledgement is requested, together with a reference to the document number. A copy of the publication containing the quotation or reprint should be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat. The Overview contained herein is also issued as part of The Technology and Innovation Report 2011 (UNCTAD/TIR/2011), sales no. XXXXX This Overview can also be found on the Internet, in all six official languages of the United Nations at www.unctad.org/dtl/tir UNCTAD/TIR/2011 (Overview) UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. ISBN 978-92-1-112795-9 ISSN 1990–5114 Copyright © United Nations, 2011 All rights reserved. Preface iii PREFACE As the evidence and impact of climate change increase, so does the urgency to develop new, clean ways of generating and using energy. And as global demand for energy increases, this quest will become even more urgent. This year the population of the planet reached 7 billion. By 2050 it may top 9 billion. All will need access to modern and affordable energy services. The UNCTAD Technology and Innovation Report 2011 focuses on the important role of renewable energy technologies in responding to the dual challenge of reducing energy poverty while mitigating climate change. This is particularly timely as the global community prepares for the Rio+20 Conference next year. The Report identifies key capacity issues for developing countries and proposes concrete recommendations for the wider use of renewable energy technologies to promote sustainable development and poverty reduction. My high-level Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change stressed that there is an urgent need to mobilize resources and accelerate efforts to ensure universal access to energy. Creating an enabling environment for the promotion and use of renewable energy technologies is a critical part of this effort, as recognized by the United Nations General Assembly when it declared next year as the “International Year for Sustainable Energy for All”. It is also at the heart of my recent launch of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative to help ensure universal access to modern energy services; double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix, all by the year 2030. We can tackle both energy poverty and climate cha