Greens – sun-powered

Direct solar energy is by far the largest source of fully sustainble energy worldwide. Less than 1% of the world’s land area, much of it on building roofs and in arid areas, would be needed to supply all the world’s energy requirements in a completely sustainable manner. Solar power is abundant, peaceful and cannot be monopolised. In many countries, the Greens are already recognised as the solar party. Let us make this a global strategy.

Global Greens Solar Revolution

Climate change and energy are a key part of the Global Greens Charter (section 3). Our focus should be on positive steps to reduce energy consumption in developed countries, eliminate energy poverty in developing countries and create a peaceful, global sustainable energy revolution, with the emphasis on sun power. A solar campaign would unite Greens globally, with the prospect of making a real difference.

What to do

Promote the Global Greens solar revolution through
· sharing resources such as model legislation, campaign ideas, and fact sheets;
· accrediting a small group of Global Greens solar spokespeople;
· creating a ‘sun’ logo to identify the Global Greens solar revolution;
· encouraging information exchange electronically and through exchange visits;
· registering the Global Greens under the UN Climate Convention so that Greens have observer status at conferences of parties; and
· organising through both parliamentary and community action to advance the solar revolution through the UN General Assembly, conferences of parties, G8 and other international forums.

Specifically we should --

Establish a small working group, reporting to the Global Greens Coordination, to agree on global targets for energy efficiency, renewable energy, R&D investment, alleviation of energy poverty and to draft strategies to achieve them. The strategies should capitalise on the global strengths of the Greens. A big early investment in R&D is important to underpin the rapid development and commercialisation of new sustainble technologies. Examples of targets --
· sustained global expenditure of $120 billion per annum (about 10% of defence expenditure) on research, development, demonstration, commercialisation and market support of technologies and approaches for energy efficiency and renewable energy (the effort should be diverted from fossil fuel and nuclear R&D).
· set a global target for 25% of primary energy to come from sustainble sources by 2020 and 90% by 2050. With our focus on solar, emphasize direct solar technologies including photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity, domestic and industrial solar heat and solar architecture.
· spend at least $10 billion per anum on distributed solar and wind energy, and other appropriate sustainble technologies to lift 1 billion people out of energy poverty by 2018.

Promote feed-in laws and a variety of policy and financial mechanisms for energy efficiency and sustainble energy.

Campaign for new electricity generation to be renewable and for a freeze on new coal-fired and nuclear power stations (it will be much cheaper to invest in renewables up-front than to convert new plant in 10 years’time).

NB. Sustainble energy includes energy efficiency, solar, wind, geothermal, small scale hydro, ocean energy, traditional biomass, solar buildings and sustainable transport. Industrial biomass is included only where it is demonstrably greenhouse-beneficial and has no adverse impacts on biodiversity, food production or water supply. Large-scale hydro is excluded