16
CLIMATE ROUNDTABLE - CHASING NEW IDEAS
When looking at the recent turmoil in Ukraine and Egypt, both
conflicts are interlinked with the need for natural resources, gas
and grain respectively. The increasing fight for scarce resources,
such as water and food, has the potential to create similar, if not
worse conflicts. Failure in combating climate change is not an
option. On the contrary, we need an energy revolution based on
the increased development and use of renewable energy. This
will not only reduce countries’ dependency on fuel, but it will
also reduce conflicts with other regions, as renewable energy
is self-generating. Renewable energy is also becoming more
cost-efficient, and the pace of innovation is increasing. By 2025,
several of the renewables technologies are expected to reach a
cost level where they can compete with coal without subsidies.
But this is still not enough to curb the rising CO
2
-emissions.
China, one of the largest developers of renewable energy today,
is at the same time growing its CO
2
-emissions at a very fast
pace. In 2012, China’s emissions increased by 5.9 per cent,
which represents 70 per cent of the growth of global emissions.
If we are to be successful in reaching our climate goals, the
production of renewable energy must surpass the increase in
energy demand. In this work, I believe energy businesses like
Statkraft can play an important role. For more than 100 years
Statkraft has developed and managed hydropower resources.
Today, Statkraft is Europe's largest producer of renewable energy.
With hydropower production in an increasing number
of developing countries, Statkraft is well positioned to become
a leading international company in pure energy.
In the years ahead we will grow within hydropower, wind power,
district heating and other renewable technologies. This is not
only good for local communities and the environment, but also
for our own business. By capitalising on our Norwegian heritage,
we are also securing future returns for our shareholders – the
Norwegian society.
The infamous Wall Street film character Gordon Gekko once said:
"Greed is good". Going forward the business slogan should be
“green is good”.
2.5 billion people worldwide lack access to
modern energy services, most of whom live
in emerging markets like Brazil, India, Indonesia,
China and Africa. Efforts to increase access to
energy are a key prerequisite for progress within
health, welfare, employment and education.
Christian Rynning-Tønnesen
