Friday, December 3, 2010

Economic growth can be sustainable, WB says

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:26:00 12/03/2010

Filed Under: Economy and Business and Finance, Energy,Climate Change, Energy Savings

MANILA, Philippines—Economic growth need not come at the expense of the environment. A sustainable economy must rely on energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources, and must manage pollution and congestion that often accompany rapid urbanization.
These are among the key messages of a report published by the World Bank and the Australian government.
The report was presented at the recent Renewable Energy Conference and Expo Manila 2010, where President Benigno Aquino III and Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras spoke about the commitment of the Philippine government in renewable energy.
This conference is part of the Department of Energy’s efforts for the National Energy Consciousness Month in December.
“The energy sector has to be transformed toward much higher efficiency and more widespread use of clean, renewable energy before it’s too late,” said World Bank Senior Energy Specialist Xiaodong Wang, lead author of the report.
Australian Ambassador Rod Smith said: “Reducing the impacts of climate change through mitigation and adaptation remains a high priority for Australia’s aid program.
This AusAID-funded report is a useful tool for governments as they look to introduce new “green” technologies and reduce rates of carbon-emissions growth over the next 20 years. It also analyzes the key challenges that need to be addressed by countries to allow these technologies to be adopted.
The Philippines is one of the leaders in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) region when it comes to using indigenous renewable resources in power generation, Wang said.
She said the government must continue to give priority for renewable energy, which currently provides 30 percent of power supply in the country. The Philippines ranks second in the world, only behind the United States, in geothermal capacity. It has an installed geothermal capacity of 2,000MW, which provides 17 percent of the country’s power generation.
But much needs to be done to tap the country’s potential for energy efficiency, Wang said, as energy conservation is a short-term “win-win” option for the Philippines.
Energy conservation is a cost-effective short-term option to address power crisis in the Philippines, and can also reduce local air pollution, enhance energy security, and mitigate climate change.
The report, titled “Winds of Change: East Asia’s Sustaining Energy Future,” states that sustaining economic growth without compromising the environment is expected to be the greatest challenge facing East Asia over the next two decades.
Growth entails rapid urbanization and, by 2030, the Philippines will have nearly 68 percent of its population living in cities, according to the report. This is not without cost, Wang said.
The report notes that energy consumption is expected to double over the next two decades. Energy conservation is important, the report said, and the Philippines would need to reduce its energy intensity by 3.1 percent a year, in order to get onto a sustainable energy path.
The report also emphasizes the need for energy conservation as a short-term “win-win” option for the Philippines.
To tap the country’s potential for energy efficiency requires effective regulations such as efficiency standards, financial incentives, and institutional reforms of a national champion, the report says.
For example, adoption of energy-efficiency standards to new electric appliances based on the most efficient models on the market today could shave as much as 9.5 percent off residual power demand by 2030.
Sound price-setting methodologies and tools in the power, coal, oil and natural gas subsectors are fundamental to an efficient, sustainable and secure energy sector, the report added.

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