Posted on October, 10 2011

OSLO, NORWAY: Today the Norwegian government will launch Energy +, a global initiative to finance access to renewable energy, energy efficiency and low carbon development in developing countries. WWF welcomes this effort to bring clean and safe light, heat and energy to the approximate 3 billion people in the world without access to reliable energy, and applauds Norway’s leadership.

Norway will launch Energy + at a high-level conference co-organized by the International Energy Agency and attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The conference will include discussion of both renewables and fossil fuels as solutions to energy poverty.

Rasmus Hansson, CEO of WWF-Norway, says: “Ending energy poverty should be part of the solution to climate change, not part of the problem. WWF urges Norway, and other countries, to keep their focus on renewables, the energy of the future – not on the dirty fossil fuels of the past.”

Norway’s initiative comes just as the UN climate negotiations have bogged down on the issue of climate finance for developing countries. Without agreement on finance, the future of the negotiations is in danger.

Samantha Smith, leader for WWF’s global climate and energy work, said: “The science is certain - we have no time to lose in switching to clean, safe and renewable energy. Norway’s leadership is critical when the UN climate negotiations so far have failed to deliver the money we need for this switch.”

2012 will be the UN year of sustainable energy for all. “We urge the UN to focus on renewable energy, the only truly sustainable energy source. WWF’s Energy Report shows that we can meet all of the world’s energy needs with 100% renewable energy. We think this is a great focus for 2012, “said Samantha Smith.


For further information:

Samantha Smith, +47 45 02 21 49, ssmith@wwf.no
Richard McLellan, +41 22 364 9228, rmclellan@wwfint.org
Rasmus Hansson, +47 90 686 313, rhansson@wwf.no


About WWF

WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.