GWEC PRESS ADVISORY
21 September 2007
GWEC Secretary General to attend UN, Washington climate talks

Brussels, 21 September

Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has been invited to attend UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s high level climate debate at UN headquarters in New York on 24 September, and will be in Washington for US President Bush’s Major Emitter’s Meeting on 27& 28 September. Mr. Sawyer will be available for comment and analysis throughout.

The UN event (see: http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007high… ) is expected to attract senior government representatives from more than 150 countries, including at least 70 Heads of State/Government, and is designed to galvanize global political action on climate change in the run up to the UN Climate Summit in Bali, Indonesia in December.

“Global emissions must peak and begin to decline by 2020 if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change,” said Sawyer. “In the power sector, there are only three main options for reducing emissions in that time frame: energy efficiency, fuel switching, and to continue and increase the rapid expansion of wind power globally.”

“The wind power industry is growing very rapidly; it can supply as much as 16% of global electricity needs by 2020. This would save 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions globally in 2020 and make a major contribution to fighting climate change. But governments must do their job and set a clear, legally binding framework within which we can do our job.”

Later in the week, the scene shifts to Washington, where President Bush has invited representatives from the so-called ‘Major Emitters’, for further discussions on how to move forward on the climate issue.

“Only recently has the Bush administration acknowledged the seriousness of the climate issue, and that it must be dealt with globally through the United Nations. We need to remind Mr. Bush of the extraordinary success of the wind power industry in the United States, and how it is poised to play a major role as the United States joins the global fight to protect the climate.”

For further information:

Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General:

In the US: +1 603 547 0618 (from Sunday 23rd)
In Brussels: +32 2 400 1030

Global Wind Energy Council
Renewable Energy House - Rue d’Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 5025502 Web: www.gwec.net