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Stockholm, 25 April 2013: A newly established global alliance of civil society organizations, academics, business associations and policy makers has called upon national legislators to commit to 100 percent renewable energy in the power, heating&cooling and transportation sector. At the Pathways To 100% Renewable Energy Conference, taking place in San Francisco, California on the 17th of April, the alliance launched a new international campaign that seeks to build political will among a critical mass of decision makers and set a required goal of 100% renewable energies. Among the founding partners of the new alliance are the World Future Council, Renewables 100 Policy Institute, World Wind Energy Association, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, DeENet and World Bioenergy Association.

“It is a fact that non-renewable energies will, by definition, run out. It is also a fact that in the meantime, dependence on these energy sources is causing multiple existential global crises. If human beings are to preserve modernity and planetary habitability, we must soon shift to 100% renewable energy in all sectors,” said Stefan Schurig, Director of Climate and Energy, World Future Council. 

In a joint statement the representatives of the new alliance also state that despite this basic logic, so far most political decision makers have taken measures nowhere near proportional to the problem. “One fundamental necessity to breaking the inertia should be a robust, global call for 100% renewable energy that creates urgently needed political will among legislators around the globe,” says Diane Moss, Founding Director of Renewables 100 Policy Institute.

“The technologies to harvest these energy sources already exist today, and they are already cost-competitive,” says Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General of World Wind Energy Association. “It is the responsibility of our generation to do whatever we can in order to switch as fast as possible to 100% renewable energy."

“Now is the time to direct the available capital to investments in decentral renewable energies and not to lock it for decades in centralized fossil structures.” adds Heinz Kopetz, president of the World Bionergy Association. Carbon taxes on national and international level would help to pave the road towards 100%”. 

Upgrading renewable energies mainly results in structural change from which regions and communities are the principal beneficiaries. Several regions, communities and cities for example in Germany and Denmark prove that this ambitious goal is already becoming a reality. The success story of those regions comes as a consequence of high citizen participation and the regional value creation taking place through decentralized energy production.

The alliance therefore calls upon local, regional and national policy makers to implement political frameworks that enable citizens and municipalities to profit from this transition. “The right political framework, including positive goals for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is absolutely crucial to achieve 100% renewable energy,” says Prof. Eicke Weber, Director of the Fraunhofer ISE and former Professor at UC Berkeley. “Our task is to adapt policy frameworks on all governance levels to today`s reality and to further develop best policies.”
To that end, knowledge transfer and exchange between policy makers are vital. At the Pathways To 100% Renewable Energy Conference, one message resounded: we must establish networks between trailblazing countries and people to realize the implementation of a global energy transition with 100 percent renewable energy. Weber: “Despite numerous good practices and successful policy instruments, existing solutions do not always get through to policy makers in government. I hope this campaign helps to facilitate this kind of dialogue so countries can learn from the invaluable experiences of frontrunner countries like Germany, Denmark and other countries in order to avoid wasting scarce resources.” For more information on the campaign please visit www.go100percent.org. 

About us

World Future Council

The World Future Council brings the interests of future generations to the centre of policy making. Its up to 50 eminent members from around the globe have already successfully promoted change. The Council addresses challenges to our common future and provides decision-makers with effective policy solutions. In-depth research underpins advocacy work for international agreements, regional policy frameworks and national lawmaking and thus produces practical and tangible results. For further information please visit our website: www.worldfuturecouncil.org.

Renewables 100 Policy Institute
The Renewables 100 Policy Institute was founded to advance 100 percent renewable energy scenarios, based on the recognition that civilization cannot survive and continue to depend on non-renewable resources. The organization aims to conduct and distribute research, studies, and analysis showing the most economically and technologically feasible ways for all nations to achieve the 100 percent renewable energy supply, including fuels for the transportation sector. For further information please visit our website: www.renewables100.org.

World Wind Energy Association WWEA
WWEA works for a transformation of the world energy system towards 100 % renewable energy, with wind energy as one cornerstone. WWEA advises national governments and international organizations, provides up-to-date information about wind power and enhances know-how transfer. Currently, WWEA has 600 direct and more than 50 000 indirect members and represents the wind sector from more than 100 countries on all continents. The WWEA members include national wind energy associations as well as companies, scientific institutions and public bodies. WWEA is co-founder of the International Renewable Energy Alliance and has Special Consultative Status at the United Nations. For further information please visit our website: www.wwindea.org.

Fraunhofer ISE
With a total staff of about 1300, Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg is Europe’s largest solar research institute. Fraunhofer ISE works to provide the technologies for a sustainable, economic, safe and socially just energy supply system. Towards this goal the institute develops materials, components, systems and processes in several business areas, including building efficiency and technology, solar photovoltaics and solar thermal systems, regenerative power systems and hydrogen technologies. The institute runs as well accredited test centers. www.ise.fraunhofer.de.


World Bioenergy Association, WBA

The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) is the global organisation dedicated to supporting and representing the wide range of actors in the bioenergy sector. Its members include national and regional bioenergy organisations, institutions, companies and individuals. 
The purpose of WBA is to promote the increasing utilisation of bioenergy globally in an efficient, sustainable, economic and environmentally friendly way. Since its foundation in May 2008, WBA has been working to address a number of pressing issues including certification, sustainability, standardisation, bioenergy promotion, and the debates about bioenergy´s impact on food, land-use and water supply. 

For more information visit: www.worldbioenergy.org




World Bioenergy Association
Holländargatan 17
11160 Stockholm
Sweden

Tel. +46-84417084
www.worldbioenergy.org
info@worldbioenergy.org


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