The Energy Caucus is a coalition of non-profit, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and related UN meetings and conferences. We work to educate and encourage governments, non-governmental organisations, and international agencies in promoting sustainable energy policies at the international and intergovernmental levels.In particular, the Caucus focuses on encouraging policies to promote energy conservation and sustainable renewable sources of energy.

The Caucus was one of the earliest caucuses formed at the CSD, and has been active at the UN since 1994. We took a leading role in 1997 at the Rio+5 Summit ; led the work of NGOs at CSD9 in 2001 which was devoted to energy issues; and were very active atthe World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2001-2002. At WSSD, the Caucus provided input for the outcome policy documents, held briefings and dialogues with governments, and sponsored side events to educate both government and NGO delegates. With wide participation, the Energy Caucus spent many months preparing a policy paper for CSD9 in 2001 that has continued to guide our work for the last few years.

Under the programme established at the 11th session of the CSD in 2003, energy has been a focal issue during the second cycle period, 2006-2007. Water has been the issue main issue during the first cycle, 2004-2005. The first year of the energy cycle, 2006, has focused on reviewing what is actually has been done in the world, at all levels, to promote energy and sustainable development. The second year, 2007, is focusing on developing new UN policies relating to energy. In 2008-2009, the CSD will focus on the issues of agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa.  CSD16 in 2008 will be a review year and CSD17 in 2009 will be a policy year. (For complete details, see the CSD-16 web site at: www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/review.htm)

Some of the issues that the Energy Caucus has worked on recently are listed below.  For a comprehensive policy paper, please see the Caucus’s CSD9 Dialogue paper. 

Phase-out of Environmentally Harmful Subsidies.
At WSSD in 2002, the countries agreed to call on governments to take actions at all levels for policies to phase out harmful subsidies (Plan of Implementation, par. 19 p) including subsidies that inhibit sustainable development (par. 19q). To make this more operational, we propose:

  1. Set a general timeframe for the phase-out.

  2. Give to an international body the responsibility of assisting countries with this phase-out, including development of phase-out plans addressing related issues such as optimization of the phase-out to promote sustainable solutions and solving eventual social problems of the phase-out and the related changing energy consumption pattern.

  3. Re-direct monies from harmful subsidies toward sustainable forms of energy, especially subsidies targeted for the poor and low-income.

  4. Extend the call to international institutions, including development organizations and development banks

  5. Address the call to export credit agencies

Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in all International Cooperation
 At WSSD in 2002, the countries agreed to call upon the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to provide financial resources to developing countries to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy (par. 19o) and to enhance international cooperation to improve access to reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy services for poverty eradication (par. 8f). It is proposed that this is expanded to a call to all international organizations involved in energy and poverty reduction to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Stop Development Assistance and IDB Lending to Fossil Fuels and Nuclear
While the countries at WSSD agreed to call for enhanced international cooperation to improve access to affordable and environmentally sound energy for poverty reductions, a large part of development assistance and the majority of energy lending from International Development Banks (IDBs) goes to development of fossil fuel use and unsustainable, large hydro-power. To ensure that international funding is used for sustainable development, the INFORSE network proposes that the energy-related IDB lending and all energy-related development assistance is limited to energy efficiency and to sustainable use of renewable energy. A special focus must be on local renewable energy solutions that can contribute to poverty reduction.

Real and Fast Reductions of Man-made Climate Impacts
With the UNFCCC most countries have agreed this convention’s objective of stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous man-made interference with the climate system. Negotiations are ongoing on how to achieve this with a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol commitments after 2012. In this respect, we propose that CSD support this work with a clear statement on the need for fast, global greenhouse gas reductions in line with recent scientific findings on the dangerous man-made climate change.

Renewable Energy in Developing Countries
Special support, including substantial technology transfer and removal of harmful trade barriers, is needed to promote and increase access to renewable energy and energy conservation/efficiency in developing countries.

A Global Organization for Sustainable Energy
While all countries support increased use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, there is no international organization working specifically for this. Sustainable energy has no “organizational home” on global level. Such a permanent body for sustainable energy would give a very valuable contribution to the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy, and we recommend that it is established. Valuable proposals have already been made, such as the proposed International Sustainable Energy Fund (ISEF), and the proposed International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Stop the Promotion of Nuclear Power.
Since its start IAEA has supported the further expansion of nuclear power,but such a mandate is not contributing to sustainable development:

  1. Because further expansion of nuclear power to new countries increases the problems of controlling both hazardous materials and materials that potentially can be used for weapons of mass destruction.

  2. Because problems with nuclear waste management and decommissioning have not been solved, making use of nuclear power an unsustainable solution.

  3. The current double mandate of IAEA of controlling civilian use of nuclear and expanding the use of nuclear gives an unhealthy double role of controlling and supporting the same technology.

This is why we propose that IAEA be asked to change its mandate and role so that it no longer supports expanded use of nuclear power, and that it concentrates its activities on the safest possible use and decommissioning of existing nuclear power.