Beijing, China – Developing countries should make renewable energy a key part of their energy strategies to enhance their energy security, prevent climate change and provide clean power to two billion people currently without access to electricity, WWF said today, at the opening of the two-day Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC).

The conference brings together governments, industries, international financial institutions and civil society representatives from over 100 countries. Its main purpose is to review progress in developing renewable energy sources such as wind, biomass and bio-fuel, solar and hydropower, and to agree on new ways to accelerate renewable energy market uptake.

'We call on governments, aid agencies and investors to kick-start investment in clean energy and accelerate research and development in renewable energy technologies,' says Rafael Senga, head of the WWF delegation at BIREC.

'Developing countries need to strengthen cooperation on capacity-building, technology transfer, trade and investment among themselves. This should enable them to set an energy agenda that is more independent, less carbon-intensive and supportive of their national development priorities.'

Developing countries in rapid transition are the natural centre of gravity for this South-South cooperation. Already, China is one of the biggest producers of solar PV systems in the world. It is also a world leader in small hydropower technologies. India has a burgeoning wind power industry and has made tremendous technological headway in this cutting edge industry. Brazil, on the other hand, leads in bio-fuel development and utilization — a technology with vast potentials in agriculture-based economies.

However, China, India and other fast developing emerging economies also pose a big threat to global climate in view of their heavy reliance on coal for power generation. It is essential to help them steer away from a carbon-intensive path to a cleaner energy future.

'China is moving ahead faster than many countries, with an ambitious plan to speed-up renewable energy development with the Renewable Energy Law to become effective by 1 January 2006, the first among developing countries,' says Dr. Lin Gan, an energy expert from WWF China.

'Developing countries can attain sustainable development through cooperation on renewable energy, but industrialized countries — with their extremely high per capita emissions — must come clean now to prevent dangerous climate change.'

WWF is initiating efforts to forge stronger cooperation on renewable energy among developing countries, harnessing the full potential of these inexhaustible energy sources and the numerous success stories in a number of developing countries. This should help maximize synergies among emerging economies, chart their own energy future and give them a stronger negotiating position towards industrialized countries. WWF, together with The German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ), is helping coordinate the South-South Cooperation Forum at BIREC that is organized by the China Wind Energy Association (CWEA).

'Strong cooperation on renewable energy shall result in more equitable trade, investment and technology transfer among developing countries,' says Rafael Senga. 'Such cooperation can help make renewable energy the big business that it should be.'

For further information, contact:

Qiao Liming, Climate and Energy Associate, WWF China Tel: +86 1065227100 ext. 3263, Email: lmqiao@wwfchina.org

Caroline Liou, Deputy Communications Manager, WWF China Tel: +86 1065227100 ext. 3239, Email: caroline@wwfchina.org